Echiochilon pauciflorum - Few-Flowered Bushy Bugloss

Few-Flowered Bushy Bugloss is a much branched shrub up to 50 cm tall. Its name is inspired from its apparent similarity to Bugloss plants. Stem and branches are rough with bristly appressed hairs arising from a swollen base, usually becoming hairless with age. Leaves are stalkless, 10-30 x 2.5-7 mm, entire, lanceshaped, hairy an both surfaces; hairs similar to those on stem. Flowers are bracteate, usually in 2-4 flowered clusters in leaf-axils or at branch-ends. Bracts are leafy, but smaller. Calyx is 3-4 mm long, with appressed bristly hairs; sepals lanceshaped. Flowers are 4.5 mm long, white, tube 2.5 mm; petals oblong, nervose, margin crisp, lower half hairy; throat densely hairy with pale yellow hairs. Stamens somewhat protrude out, alternating with the petals; filaments 1 mm long, dilated towards base; anthers about 1.3 mm long, narrow oblong. Style is 1.3 mm long, stigma nearly headlike. Nutlets are about 2.5 mm long. Few-Flowered Bushy Bugloss is found from Iran, Pakistan to NW India. Flowering: all year.