Flora-Fauna

Pseudodictamnus damascenus (Boiss.) Salmaki & Siadati

≡ Ballota damascena Boiss.
(First published as Ballota damascena in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2, 17: 56; 1842. Transferred to Pseudodictamnus in Taxon 65: 177; 2016. Treated in Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 3, p. 143; 1983)

• Life-form & habit: Multicaulous perennial, stems 30–80 cm, thick, erect, flexuous, densely white-lanate.
• Leaves: Few, petiolate, rugose, crisped, as broad as long (c. 3 cm), greyish, crenate; floral leaves subsessile, similar but smaller.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Pseudoverticillasters spaced, pluriflorous. Bracts narrowly oblong-spatulate, shorter than calyx. Calyx densely grey-tomentose, strongly ribbed; limb shorter than tube, with 10–12 short triangular slightly spinescent teeth. Corolla rose, very hispid; tube included; upper lip helmet-shaped, exserted, pubescent, bifid, lower lip shorter.
• Phenology: Flowers April–July.
• Habitat & elevation: Subarid and arid regions.
• Lebanese distribution: Ras Baalbeck; east of Qa‘a; sources of the Orontes.
• Syrian distribution: Damascus (Salihiyé, Jabal Qasyoun, Dimas, Hamé), Anti-Lebanon (Zebdani, Ma‘loula, Palmyra).
• Native range: Syria, Lebanon, Sinai, Egypt. (POWO)

⚠️ Taxonomic note: Long treated under Ballota (sect. Beringeria), but recent molecular studies (Salmaki & Siadati 2016) place it in Pseudodictamnus. Mouterde highlighted its dense white lanate indumentum, rugose leaves, and calyx with 10–12 short triangular teeth as distinguishing traits.