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Basil Bugleweed
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Basil Bugleweed
P Native Photo: Gary Thingnam
Common name: Basil Bugleweed • Manipuri: ꯆꯤꯡ ꯁꯡꯕ꯭ꯔꯩ Ching Sangbrei • Nepali: घेाके घाँस Ghoke ghans
Botanical name: Ajuga macrosperma    Family: Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Synonyms: Ajuga sikkimensis, Ajuga macrosperma var. macrosperma, Ajuga geniculata

Basil Bugleweed is a variable, straggling herb, with stems postrate or ascending, 12-90 cm, becoming hairless to densely hairy. Flower are light to dark blue or purple, 8-10 mm; tube 6-7 mm, clearly geniculate or at least gibbous on upper side near base; upper lip about 2.4 mm; lateral lobes of lower lip oblong, usually notched, nearly equal in length to middle lobe. Calyx is often somewhat two-lipped 4.5-5.5 mm, sparsely to densely hairy, teeth 0.7-2 mm, oblong. Flowers are borne in distant clusters, all but lowermost subtended by bracts less than 1 cm long. Leaves are ovate-elliptic, 2.5-13 x 1.5-6.2 cm, pointed to somewhat blunt, base wedge-shaped to narrowed, margin usually irregularly rounded toothed-sawtoothed, velvet-hairy to sparsely hairy, leaf-stalk up to 2 cm. Nutlets are about 2.5 x 1.7 mm, obovoid. Basil Bugleweed is found in the Himalayas, from Kumaon to NE India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, altitudes of 400-2600 m. Flowering: January-March.
Medicinal uses: The plant is used in the treatment of nephritis. The juice of the roots is applied to boils and pimples.

Identification credit: Tabish, J.M. Garg Photographed in Imphal, Manipur & Morni hills, Haryana.

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