Anisomeles malabarica (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Anisomeles malabarica (L.) R.Br. ex Sims

Protologue: Bot. Mag.: 46, t. 2071 (1819).

Synonyms

• Nepeta malabarica L. (1767),
• Epimeredi candicans (Benth.) Rothm. (1944).

Vernacular names

• Malabar catmint (En).

Distribution

A. malabarica originates from South India and Sri Lanka, but is now also distributed in Thailand, Indo-China, Malesia and the Bismarck Archipelago. It has also been introduced into Mauritius.

Uses

In Malesia and India, A. malabarica has the same uses as A. indica.

Observations

• A shrubby herb, 0.5-1.5 m tall, stems tetragonous, densely villous or woolly.
• Leaves ovate to oblong, 3-8 cm × 1.5-3 cm, densely woolly beneath, sparsely hirsute above, hairs 4-celled, petiole 0.5-2.5 cm long, softly woolly.
• Inflorescence a single terminal spike.
• Calyx 8.5 mm × 6 mm, longest teeth 3-4 mm long, in fruit 8-10 mm long, teeth hairy inside, corolla up to 18 mm long, lower lip about 12 mm × 4 mm, lilac or pale blue, filaments almost at same level, about 8 mm long, style about 13 mm long.
• Nutlets cylindrical, 1.3 mm × 0.9 mm.

A. malabarica grows well in open, sandy waste locations, mostly under seasonal climatic conditions, at low altitude, flowering in the rainy season.

Selected sources

• [74] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1964—1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1964) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
• [135] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A—H) pp. 1—1240, Vol. 2 (I—Z) pp. 1241—2444.
• [145] Cantino, P.D., 1992. Evidence for a polyphyletic origin of Labiatae. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 79: 361—379.
• [215] Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1948—1976. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials & industrial products. 11 volumes. Publications and Information Directorate, New Delhi, India.
• [786] Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. 620 pp.
• [810] Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.
• [820] Raju, J.S. & Reddi, C.S., 1989. Pollination biology of Anisomeles indica and Anisomeles malabarica (Lamiaceae). Plant Species Biology 4(2): 157—167.

Main genus page

• Anisomeles

Authors

• L.T. Ng & S.K. Ling