Ophiorrhiza nutans C.B.Clarke, Fl. Brit. India 3: 84 (1880);
.
Central Himalaya to China (Yunnan): Assam, China South-Central, East Himalaya, Myanmar, Nepal, Tibet as per POWO;
.
Herbs, up to 80 cm tall; stems densely reddish brown villous with multicellular trichomes. Leaves simple, opposite decussate; stipules ca. 0.8-1 cm, persistent, lanceolate or subovate, acuminate to 2-lobed; petiole ca. 0.5-2 cm, densely pubescent; lamina ca. 3-13 × 1.5-4 cm, ovate, lanceolate, elliptic, or elliptic-oblong, obtuse to subrounded then attenuate at base, acute to cuspidate at apex, margins ciliolate, entire or undulate, chartaceous, sparsely pilose or strigose adaxially, glabrescent except pubescent along principal veins abaxially, secondary nerves 9-15 pairs. Inflorescence congested-cymose to corymbiform, many flowered, densely hirtellous; peduncle 1-6 cm; bracts linear-oblong or lanceolate, ca. 0.5-1 cm, ciliate, sometimes fimbriate and or with a linear lobe at each side; Flowers distylous, subsessile; calyx densely hispidulous to glabrescent; hypanthium subturbinate, ca. 1.5 mm; lobes sublanceolate, ca. 1.2 mm; corolla white, tubular-funnelform, glabrous or sparsely hispid outside; tube ca. 0.65-1.9 cm, inside sparsely pilosulous near middle and barbate in throat; lobes subtriangular or subovate, ca. 0.2-0.3 cm, dorsally narrowly winged. Capsules ca. 0.8-1 cm, mitriform, hispidulous to subglabrous.
Flowering & Fruiting: May-October
(Attributions: French Institute of Pondicherry as per India Biodiversity Portal)
.
Ophiorrhiza nutans: 3 images.
Ophiorrhiza nutans from Pelling, Sikkim, found blooming in May.
.
References:
POWO Catalogue of Life Flora of China FOC illustration Annotated checklist of Flowering plants of Nepal India Biodiversity Portal
