Lamiaceae
Leucas

Leucas urticifolia (Vahl) Sm.

First published in A.Rees, Cycl. 20: n.° 4 (1812)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mauritania to India. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb, 0.1–0.5 m tall; stems moderately to densely pubescent with recurved hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate or upper leaves sessile; blade ovate to lanceolate, up to 12–35 × 8–22 mm, 1.5–5 times as long as wide, more densely hairy below, apex rounded to subacute, margin crenate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Verticillasters spaced at least at the based of inflorescence, globose; cymes 15–40-flowered; bracteoles 9–14 mm long; pedicels 0–1 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits Fruiting calyx
Fruiting calyx (8–)10-lobed, strongly zygomorphic, 9–13 mm long at dorsal side, 11–15 mm long at the ventral side, and often with a ± recurved lip at the ventral side; lobes unequal, 0.2–2 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 7–12 mm long; lower lip slightly to distinctly longer than upper lip
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style-branches very unequal
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Nutlets oblong, 2–2.5 × 0.8–1 mm, glossy, apex rounded and glandular.
[FSOM]

Lamiaceae (Labiatae), A.J. Paton, G. Bramley, O. Ryding, R.M. Polhill, Y.B. Harvey, M. Iwarsson, F. Willis, P.B. Phillipson, K. Balkwill, C.W. Lukhoba, D.F. Otieno, & R.M. Harley. Leucas, G. Bramley. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2009

Type
Types: India, Koenig s.n. & Yemen, Forsskål s.n. (C, syn.)
Morphology General Habit
Annual herb, 30–90 cm high, with erect stems, sometimes branching
Morphology Stem
Stems pubescent with short downward curving hairs, rarely densely pubescent
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate or appearing ± sessile; blades ovate to narrowly ovate to lanecolate, 2–7 × 0.6–5 cm, margins broadly serrate to crenate-serrate, apex acute to ± obtuse, base ± cuneate to shortly attenuate, upper surface pubescent with short appressed eglandular hairs, lower surface pubescent with appressed hairs, more plentiful on venation, also with scattered yellow sessile glands; petioles 6–20 mm long, pubescent with appressed hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of 2–4 verticils spaced 12–50 mm apart, usually laxly spaced, becoming more congested near apex; verticils congested with many flowers in each cyme; pedicels ± 1 mm long; bracteoles linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 5–10 mm long, pubescent with patent hairs, with occasional yellow sessile glands, usually curved up around the verticils
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx narrowly funnel-shaped, tube 5–7 mm (8–11 mm long with anterior lip) at anthesis, extending 1–2 mm in fruit, the anterior side somewhat to conspicuously deflexed, pubescent with short hairs near the bottom of the tube and near the teeth apices, the hairs longer, patent and more plentiful along the vein ridges, also with yellow sessile glands, inner surface with short appressed hairs; throat asymmetric, the anterior side 1–5 mm longer than the posterior; lobes 10, 5 on each lip, subequal, narrowly to broadly triangular at base, 0.5–1 mm, with short spinescent tips 0.5–1 mm long, the central three teeth on each lip larger
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white, 6–10 mm long; tube 4–6 mm long, outer surface with appressed hair, inner surface with an undulate band of short glandular hairs halfway down the tube, sometimes only vaguely apparent; posterior lip 1–4 mm long; anterior lip 2–5 mm long, inner surface with patch of papillae near the corolla mouth, outer surface pubescent and with yellow sessile glands
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Nutlets 2–2.4 mm long, upper surface with big sessile glands and other smaller stalked glands.
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images