Henckelia dasii - Ziro Henckelia

Ziro Henckelia is a perennial erect herb, 40-150 cm tall.The species is named in honour of Dr. Abhaya Prasad Das, Retired Professor, University of North Bengal. Flowers are borne in leaf-axils, in 1-5 flowered cymes, carried on flower-cluster-stalks 1-2.5 cm long. Flowers are funnel shaped, 4-5 cm long, white with light pinkish tinge and with two yellow flanges from centre of the tube to the lower lip, hairless on both sides, distinctly 2-lipped, lips divergent; tube 3-4 cm long, bulged at basal part, constricted in middle, widening towards tip; upper lip 2-lobed; lobes equal, nearly round, 0.6-1.1 x 0.7-1.2 cm, tip roundedl lower lip 3-lobed; lobes nearly equal, broadly ovate, 0.8-1.3 x 0.5-0.8 cm, tip blunt. Stamens are 2, inserted 1.8-2 cm above from the flower base, staminodes 2. Pistil is 2.8-3.2 x 0.2-0.3 cm. Flower-stalks are 0.3-0.8 cm long, enclosed within the bracts, light green, finely velvet-hairy; bracts 2, free, opposite, green, round-broadly ovate, 1.2-2.5 x 1-2.5 cm, concealing the flower buds, tip pointed, margins nearly entire to sawtoothed, veins prominent. Sepal-cup is urn-shaped, 1.7-2.3 cm long, fused up to more than 3/4 of its length, white, finely velvet-hairy outside, hairless inside, 5-lobed; sepals unequal, ovate-triangular, 0.2-0.6 cm long. Stem is round, unbranched, green, velvet-hairy when young, later becoming hairless. Leaves are in opposite perpendicular pairs, elliptic-ovate, 8-25 x 4-11 cm, tip pointed, base rounded or slightly oblique, margins rounded toothed-toothed, above dark green, below light green, above finely velvet-hairy, below velvet-hairy along veins; lateral veins 8-14 pairs; leaf-stalks 2-6.5 cm long. Capsules are linear, 7-13.5 x 0.2-0.3 cm, dark purple-maroon, hairless. Ziro Henckelia is so far, only known from Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh. Flowering: July-August.