105. VERBENAGE^. [2. Lippia. 



1. L. indica, Roxb. 



A shrub 3-8 ft. high with long- rambling 4-angular strigose branches. 

 Leaves mostly ovate coarsely crenate, 1-3-5" long, rugose with impressed 

 nerves and hairy with somewhat bulbous-based hairs above, beneath 

 with usually matted hairs or sometimes nerves villous. Flowers 

 light purple, scentless, in close heads -3" long, soon becoming ovoid or 

 cylindric and elongating up to 1" or lo", on axillary peduncles rarely 

 under 1" in flower, up to -i" in some cases in fruit. Bracts obovate, 

 ovate lanceolate or ovate acuminate, hairy all over, less conspicuously 

 fringed at the margins than in Lippia geminata, lowest often o" 

 long forming a kind of involucre to the spike. Fruit -lo-^" diam., 

 pui'ple when ripe. 



Clarlre says " on the river-banks of Bengal one of the commonest weeds " ; Prain 

 says m most of the iDrovinces" of Bengal, but he appears in this statement to 

 have followed Clarke, as there is not a single genuine specimen of the plant from 

 any of his provnices included in Behar and Orissa, and only vei-y doubtful ones 

 from other parts of Bengal ! Clarke states that when not in fruit it is difficult to 

 distinguish It from Lippia geminata (!). I can only conclude that contrary to his 

 usual discrimination he often took the Lippia for this species and that L. indica is 

 very rare in our area. FL, Fr, Sept. -Jan. 



L. sometimes ternate (as also in Lippia), rarely lanceolate but usually broadly 

 ovate or subcordate (as never in Lippia geminata) and suddenly cuneate on the -3" 

 long petiole, teeth m old leaves often -I-'IS" broad, sec. n. 3-6. Calyx tubular 

 truncate, -07" densely pubescent. Cor.-tube •25--35". pubescent, limb -3" across 

 Xback to front), lobes -i, all oblong rounded, anterior as long as posterior (Both 

 calyx and corolla quite different from L. geminata, q.v.) The laro-e drupes are 

 quickly evident in the spikes, which also easily distinguishes it from X, geminata. 



2. L. camara, L. Syn. L. aculeata, L.; L. scandens (Ind. For., Jan , 

 1901); Putus, ^. 



A straggling or scandent shrub with small recurved prickles on 

 most of the branches. Leaves 2-3-5" long, ovate or ovate-oblong with 

 cordate or sub-cordate base cuneate or decurrent on the short petiole, 

 rugose above. Flowers usually orange, varying to white or purple! 

 with a strong smell of black-currant, in short spikes appearing 

 superficially subumbellate when young. Cor.-tube very slender, -V, 

 pubescent ; limb -3" across (back to front), upper lip siib-quadrate,' 

 similar to lower lip, side lobes rounded. Drupe greenish-blue. 



Running wild in Horhap and a few other places. Native of Central America and 

 very commonly planted as hedges In parts of India ( Berar, Coorg, etc), the plant 

 has proved a terrible pest.'^ Fl., Fr. nearly all the year round. ' 



A form with the stems more aculeate constituted L. aculeata, L., while some 

 forms have the prickles very minute. L. scabrid above, shortly villous on the 

 nerves beneath. Peduucles equalling or exceeding the leaves. Bracts lanceolate 

 strigose equal, shorter than the corolla. 



2. LIPPIA, L. 



Shrubs or undershrubs, rarely herbs, with opposite or whorled. 

 rarely alternate, often aromatic, leaves and usually small or very small 

 flowers sessile in the axils of small bracts in axillary heads or spikes 

 Bracteoles small or 0. Calyx small, with 2-4-cleft or 4-toothed or 

 with 2-ribbed or 2 -winged tube. Corolla Avith straight or curved 

 tube often somewhat widened upwards, limb somewhat 2-lipped, 4- 



* See Indian Forester, Jan., 1901, also Nov., 1919, where the leaves have been 

 suggested as a substitute for tea. c vcs, imve ueen 



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