Isodon ternifolius

Isodon ternifolius (D.Don) Kudô, Mem. Fac. Sci. Taihoku Imp. Univ. 2: 140 1929. (syn: Elsholtzia lychnitis H.Lév. & Vaniot; Elsholtzia thompsonii Hook.f.; Ocimum ternifolium Spreng.; Plectranthus buckia Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don; Plectranthus hosseusii Muschl.; Plectranthus ternifolius D.Don; Rabdosia ternifolia (D.Don) H.Hara; Rabdosiella ternifolia (D.Don) Codd; Teucrium esquirolii H.Lév.);

Arabian Peninsula, Himalaya to S. China: Assam, Bangladesh, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Vietnam, West Himalaya as per POWO;

Common name: Three-Leaf Isodon • Bhutanese: Peng-dong-dongla • Manipuri: ꯈꯣꯢꯖꯨ Khoiju

Subshrub or robust herb. Stems 0.5-2m,obscurely angled, villous tomentose to pubescent. Leaves usually in whorls of 3 or 4, narrowly elliptic, 5.4-11 x 1.7-3.2cm, base cuneate, apex acute or shortly acuminate, margin regularly serrulate, upper surface pilose, lower surface densely white tomentose; petiole 2-6mm. Inflorescences lanate tomentose, 22-40 x 1.7cm, spike like, axillary, suberect, cymes dense. Pedicels up to 1.5mm. Calyx sub-bilabiate, campanulate, c 2mm, densely white hairy; teeth 1-1.5mm; fruiting calyx tubular, up to 5mm long, prominently ribbed. Corolla white to pale violet, c 6.5mm; tube c 2mm, gibbous; upper lip erect or recurved; lower lip straight. Stamens not exceeding lower lip, curving up at apex. Nutlets oblong ovoid, rounded trigonous, c 2mm.

Fl. September-November

In dry, open bushland, under Chir Pine or open forest

Deothang (Sassi), Punakha, Wangdi Phodrang to Tsirang, Trongsa (Tama to Birti), Mongar(Mongar to Kuru chu). 610-1370m

(Attributions- A.C.J Grierson & D.G Long. Flora of Bhutan. Published by RBGE and RGoB. 1999 as per Bhutan Biodiversity Portal)