Phlomoides tibetica - Tibetan Torchwort

Tibetan torchwort is a perennial herb with stems 18-52 cm tall, densely bristly to sparsely finely velvet-hairy. Flowers are borne in 1-3 many flowered whorls. Flowers are purple to deep wine red or pink, 1.8-2.2 cm; tube hairy or nearly hairless outside, hairy inside; limb densely woolly outside, upper lip about 8 mm, margin finely toothed, gray-black or gray barbate inside; lower lip about 6 x 7 mm, middle lobe circular, about 3.5 mm in diameter, margin irregularly wavy; lateral lobes shorter, semicircular. Sepal-cup is tubular-bell-shaped, 1.0-1.2 cm x about 7 mm, finely velvet-hairy, veins purple-brown bristly outside, throat bristly inside; teeth 1-1.5 x 2-2.8 mm, apical spine 1-1.8 mm. Floral leaves have leaf-stalk 0-5 mm, blade ovate-lanceshaped to lanceshaped, 2-5.5 x 1-2.7 cm, margin shallowly rounded toothed; bracts subulate, 0.8-1.2 cm, densely purple-brown fringed with hairs. Leaf-stalks of basal leaves are 5-15 cm, others 3.5-14 cm; basal leaf blades ovate-heart-shaped, 4.5-7 x 4-5 cm, above bristly or simple hairy, below densely hairy, base heart-shaped, margin rounded toothed to coarsely rounded toothed, tip blunt. Stem leaves are similar to basal, 6.5-8 x 6 cm, base shallowly heart-shaped to flat-wedge-shaped. Tibetan torchwort is found in Nepal to NE India and Tibet, at altitudes of 2900-4700 m. Nutlets hairless. Fl. Jul.