Family |
Lamiaceae
Ajuga chamaepitys subsp. chia
(Schreb.) Arcang.
Ajuga chamaepitys subsp. chia (Schreb.) Arcang.
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 3, pp. 97 – 98, Pl. XLVI nº 5; 1973)
Life‑form & habit : Rhizomatous perennial or short‑lived biennial forming low, loosely matted patches; rhizome slender but partly woody; surface clothed in spreading hairs that are fairly dense yet never truly grey‑tomentose.
Stems & indumentum : Stems 5 – 15 cm, initially prostrate then ascending, green; indumentum of non‑glandular, patent hairs, giving a slightly hispid feel.
Leaves : Numerous. Basal leaves long‑petiolate, trifid, the lobes oblong‑linear; lower cauline leaves shortly petiolate and divided into short, rather broad linear lobes; floral leaves smaller, the corolla clearly exceeding them.
Calyx : Campanulate, densely hispid; lobes triangular, shorter than the tube.
Corolla : About five times the calyx length; yellow suffused with purplish veins, tube hairy within; lower lip broad, three‑lobed.
Nutlets : Transversely wrinkled with a few small areoles at the summit.
Flowering period : Mid‑January onward
Habitat & elevation : Abandoned gardens, waste ground and light rocky soils, chiefly below 1 000 m.
Native range : Coastal and low‑montane Lebanon (from Saïda and Nahr Damour northwards through Beirut, Antelias and Ras Chekka) and scattered sites in western Syria; the taxon extends through the Aegean, Anatolia and the eastern Mediterranean basin.