Purple Shrub-Mint Shrub-Mint is a perennial bushy
shrub, 1-2 m tall. Flowers are borne in spikes 1.5-12 cm long, 8-11 mm
wide, at branch-ends and in leaf-axils, sometimes one-sided,
continuous, sometimes interrupted basally, with more than two lateral
branches. Flower-cluster-stalks are 0.5-2 cm long; verticillasters
many-flowered, flowers nearly stalkless. Bracts and bracteoles ovate or
lanceshaped, 1.5-3.3 mm long, woolly. Sepal-cup is bell-shaped, 3-3.5
mm long, woolly and golden glandular outside, teeth 5, triangular,
about 1mm long, about 0.7 mm wide at base, margin fringed with hairs.
Flowers are mauve, about 4.5 mm long, protruding, 2-lipped, upper lip
3-lobed, lobes about 0.7 mm long, about 0.9 mm wide at base, tip blunt,
lower lip entire, about 0.9 mm long, about 1 mm wide at base, tip
pointed. Stamens are 4, much protruding, erect; filaments about 4.3-4.6
mm long, bearded at middle, style about 6 mm long. Stem is solid,
erect, branched, round or angular, woolly. Leaves are opposite, carried
on leaf-stalks 1-2 cm long, woolly; blade narrowly elliptic to
lanceshaped, 4-15 x 1-5 cm, base wedge-shaped, margin sawtoothed, tip
tapering, woolly above, glandular on both surfaces, lateral veins 3-5
pairs. Purple Shrub-Mint Shrub-Mint is widely distributed in East
Himalaya and parts of China, at altitudes of of 1100-1300 m.
Flowering:September-December.
Medicinal uses: Decoction of flowes is
prescribed in leucorrhoea. Paste of seeds is applied to leucodermal
patches. Boiled extract of inflorescence is useful in throal
complaints.