Leucas lavandulifolia
Family
Labiatae
Synonyms
Leucas linifolia (Roth) Spreng
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Ketumbak, ketumbit (Peninsular). |
| Indonesia | Paci-paci (Sundanese), lelengan (Javanese), laranga (Tidore). |
| Philippines | Karukansoli, salita (Tagalog), kaskasumba (Iloko). |
| French | Armoise blanche |
Geographical Distributions
L. lavandulifolia is distributed from India, and the Mascarenes to China and southwards throughout Malesia, though rare in Borneo and Papua New Guinea.
Description
It is an annual herb that can reach a height of 30-80 cm . Its stem and branches are partial covered with whitish or bluish wax.
The leaves form is lance-shaped with a size of 4-6 cm x 0.5 cm. Its margin is sub-entire or sparingly serrate.
The inflorescence is composed of terminal and axillary, leafy verticillasters, often congested towards the apex, forming a cluster of 1.5-2 cm in diametre, bracts linear, 3-4 mm long, puberulous, sepal obliquely turbinate, 5-7 mm long.
The fruit is 8-9 mm long, glabrescent, mouth oblique, slightly constricted, teeth 7-10, posterior one much longer than the others. The petal is 10 mm long, tube with a hairy ring near the middle, upper lip oblong, woolly and lower lip patent.
The nutlets are oblong, 2.5 mm x 1 mm and rounded at apex. The inner surface is angular while the outer is rounded. They are dark brown and pale at base.
Ecology / Cultivation
L. lavandulifolia is a weed of open waste places, coconut and other plantations, roadsides, grassland and arable land, fallow land, paddy dams, locally often numerous, from sea-level up to 1500 m altitude. An orthographic variant of lavandulifolia is ‘lavandulaefolia’.
Line Drawing / Photograph
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References
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Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(2). 1998, Unesco.
