Micromeria biflora - Lemon Savory

Lemon Savory is a low growing shrubby herb. Stems are ascending-erect, unbranched, slender, 10-30 cm, hairless, velvety or hairy. Leaves are narrowly to broadly ovate, thickish-textured, entire, pointed, 5-10 mm long, 3-5 mm broad, with a prominently thickened marginal vein extending all round the leaf. Leaves are gland-dotted below, stalkless or almost so. Verticillasters few-flowered, rather lax. Bracts are small, linear. Flower- stalks are erect-spreading, 1-3 mm. Sepal cup is narrow tubular, 3-4 mm, prominently ribbed, with spreading hairs, teeth slightly unequal, narrow triangular-linear, up to 1.5 mm; tube bearded at throat. Flowers are rose to mauve, 6-7 mm. Upper lip is notched, lower lip longer than upper. Stamens do not protrude out. This species is globally distributed in South Africa, Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Burma between an altitude range of 1000-3000 m. Within India, it found in tropical and temperate Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan and in Punjab, Bihar, N. Circars, western ghats and hills of South India ascending up to 2100 m. Flowering: all year.