Leucas eriostoma

Leucas eriostoma Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 686 1885. (Syn: Leucas eriostoma var. eriostoma ; Leucas lepistoma Wight ex Hook.f.; Phlomis eriostoma B.Heyne ex Hook.f.);

Stout, suffruticose undershrubs, upto 1 m high; stem and branches 4-gonous, hispid with long spreading hairs, degree of hairiness highly variable. Leaves opposite, 5-10 x 0.5-4 cm, linear, linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, obtuse or acute, narrowed at base to the short petiole, obtusely serrate, hirsute both sides with long spreading hairs, thick, gland-dots inconspicuous; veins 5-7 pairs, very oblique, raised beneath, impressed above. Flower whorls 1-2.5 cm in diam., terminal and axillary. Bracts 7-9 mm long, as long as calyx or longer, linear, plumose or pectinately villous, tips recurved or not. Calyx-tube 5-10 mm long, tubular-campanulate, straight, narrowed above the nutlets, ribbed and hispid in the upper part, glabrous in lower region; mouth truncate; villi present; teeth 10, about 1 mm long, equal, linear-subulate, sparsely hairy, ciliate, erect, not recurved, not spinulose at tip, shorter than villi or rarely equalling. Corolla-tube included within the calyx, pilose annulate within towards base, hairy outside at the top; lips almost equal, upper one bearded with long white hairs, lower lip 3-lobed and pubescent on outer surface. Anthers glabrous. Nutlets ca 2 mm long, oblong.

Flowering and fruiting: November-March

Grasslands

Southern Western Ghats (Endemic)

(Attributions- Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi from India Biodiversity Portal )
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Leucas eriostoma Hook.f. SN Sep 54 : 1 post by 1 author. Attachments (3).
Leucas eriostoma Hook.f. wild herb from Tidiandmul area of Coorg, Karnataka

My flora picture of the year 2014 : 3 posts by 3 authors.
I used travel different parts of southern India every month to a nice location in order to explore the flora of the area. Usually I will be in the field by early morning. I will be in the field up to 2- 3 O clock. I used to move very slowly by observing the flora and taking the photographs using different back grounds. Some times i used collect some samples 500 g – 1 kg for research work. In my journey I happened to see several interesting taxa. If I check I may get a list. Among them I selected one plant for my flora picture of the year. Leucas eriostoma Hook.f. is my flora picture of the year 2014. I saw this taxa first time, I found this from Tidyandmul area of Coorg, which is an interior area adjacent to some coffee cultivation. The vegetation is unique and human movement is also less there.

… thanks for sharing this not-so-common (perhaps rare) species of Leucas.
A justified picture for flora pic of the year !

Thanks, …, for such regular travels & making them available on efloraofindia.
Wonderful & rare find.

Lamiaceae fortnight SN02 : 1 post by 1 author. Attachments (2)
Leucas eriostoma Hook.f., from Medikere, Theerthahalli, Karnataka

ANMAY08/34 Lamiaceae (Incl. Verbenaceae) Fortnight: Leucas sp. for identification (2) : 12 posts by 5 authors. Attachments(5)

Family: Lamiaceae
Date: May 2015
Place: Agumbe, Karnataka
Habit: Herb

Leucas species in eFloraofindia (with details/ keys from published papers/ regional floras/ FRLHT/ FOI/ Biotik/ efloras/ books etc., where ever available on net)

Leucas stelligera, perhaps.

Leucas eriostoma

efi page on Leucas stelligera & Leucas eriostoma

I can only say that in a similar looking post by Anurag Ji I suggested something, but presently I have developed doubt. I simply do not know.
One thread by … efi thread have been validated by Dr. Sunoj Ji, please check if that can help.

The calyx tube’s teeth look different from what I have clicked when compared to … photos of Leucas stelligera validated by …
Can I take it as Leucas eriostoma instead? It looks closer to that species.

There are problems … one is –

Without BSI KEY I am unable to proceed further.
Attachments(1)

Thank you sir.
I will be visiting Agumbe this month. I’ll
return with exact measurements and further details of this plant. It grows roadside in the village there. Maybe the descriptions might help then or we could make our own key between the two species and the varieties then.

Without book like efi thread, better BSI publication, I am afraid I could do anything at all.

Thank you once again sir. I may purchase the book soon. Will let you know.

Will be happy to know ID(s) of all pending Leucas, thank you …

If you have/going to have the monograph please skip the rest of the mail. …… else –

I realize simply having a book is not sufficient for me to identify certain difficult species, that too unseen/unknown before.

problem areas of Leucas eriostoma

According to the monograph Karnataka has two – L. eriostoma var. eriostoma and L. e. var. lanata.

One KEY says L. eriostoma var. eriostoma should have two whorls at most (there are 3 whorls in 100001.jpg).

But the description says whorls terminal & axillary, illustration shows one branch having three whorls.

Calyx tube ribbed and hispid in the upper part glabrous in lower region (calyx in these pics are throughout hairy).

Another KEY, where flowers are in more than two axillary whorls, informs –

(i) calyx teeth stellately spreading, recurved = L. stelligera

(ii) ……. erect or spreading but not stellately, not recurved = eriostoma var. eriostoma (longer leaves, whorls upto 2.5 cm.) and eriostoma var. lanata (having leaves upto 4 cm long, whorls upto 2cm diam.).

problem area of L. stelligera

I am not sure if calyx teeth in your pics can be called stellately spreading (perhaps yes to certain degree) and recurved.

As per the monograph L. eriostoma is not distributed in Maharashtra, as is Leucas lanata !
Why don’t you check – efi thread?

Probably wont be getting the monograph any time soon sir.
Thank you for the key.
I will keep this in mind when I get the plant. I perhaps should also start writing down the descriptions of the live plant as I see it myself. This would save a lot of time for when we both are pouring over keys and wondering if may this or that feature could be described in this way or the other

So, the ball is again in my court!
Well, …, I ordered the book just after sending you reply-mail, in this very thread, on the 1st June, received on 8th (not because of eriostoma but because of aspera)!
The ‘foreword’ informs the genus is highly polymorphic, individuals of a species also show great range of morphological variations!

It is really impossible for me to arrive any conclusion. Instead –

leaf 5-10 x 0.5-4 cm, veins 5-7 pairs, very oblique; flower whorls 1-2.5 cm = eriostoma var. eriostoma
leaf 2.5-4 x ?? cm, veins ?????; flower whorls 1-2 cm = eriostoma var. lanata
leaf 3-12 x 0.5-2 cm, ???????; flower whorls 1.5-4 cm = stelligera

This much I can do!

Thanks for that sir! Should make it handy for when I check the plant up close. 🙂

To me appears close to images at Leucas eriostoma Hook.f.

L eriostema

ANJAN23/23 Leucas sp. for identification : 5 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (4).

Family: Lamiaceae
Date: 25th December 2014
Place: Agumbe, Karnataka
Habit: Herb

Leucas species in eFloraofindia (with details/ keys from published papers/ regional floras/ FRLHT/ FOI/ Biotik/ efloras/ books etc., where ever available)

First, this is unknown to me.
Second, whorls and bracts are similar to L. lanceifolia Desf., but flowers seem to be too big. Are those flowers in the first pic coming out/ falling off the calyx tube?
Third, I am not sure if it can be L. eriostoma Hook. f.
So, please ask … if it can be the third one.

In my view it is Leucas eriostema.

Is it same species as in efi thread, …?

Not the same group of individuals, not sure if the same species sir.
Located around 3 km apart.

To me it looked same.

Pl. validate it as Leucas eriostoma Hook.f. or otherwise pl.

http://flora-peninsula-indica.ces.iisc.ac.in/herbsheet.php?id=5003&cat=7

L. eriostoma
in calyx enlarge at seeding stage

Leucas eriostoma: Mandalpatti, Coorg, Karnataka: 12 images- 5 high res.
On 7.5.22 at Mandalpatti view point at around 4000 ft. in Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary, Coorg, Karnataka.