Blepharis integrifolia

Blepharis integrifolia (L.f.) E.Mey. & Drège ex Schinz.
Synonyms: Blepharis molluginifolia, Acanthus integrifolius L.f. , Acanthus repens Vahl , Blepharis integrifolia var. setosa (Nees) Oberm. ,  Blepharis repens (Vahl) Roth , Blepharis rupicola Engl. , Blepharis saturejifolia Pers. , Blepharis setosa Nees

Description: Much branched creeping herbs; stems terete, often rooting at the nodes. Leaves simple, verticillate, usually 4 at nodes, sessile, obovate, 5-7 x 2.5-4 mm, coriaceous or subcoriaceous apex rounded or shortly mucronate, margin entire; lateral nerves obscure, younger leaves often sparsely setose. Flowers axillary, solitary, sessile; bracts 2, oblong, 0.75- 1.0 x 0.5-0.75 mm, apex apiculate, trinerved, margin setose ciliate towards apex; bacteoles 8 (4 pairs) apex acuminate, margin long ciliate, reticulate. Sepals 4 in two opposite pairs; membranous, outside puberulous, inside glabrous, margin ciliated, reticulate; outer pair larger, anterior sepal oblong or oblong- lanceolate, 8.5-9.5 x 2.5-3.0 mm, apex acute, trinerved, posterior sepal lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 8.5-9.5 x 2.0-2.5 mm, apex bifid, binerved; inner pair, smaller, lanceolate, 7.0-7.5 x 2.0-2.5 mm, apex acuminate, uninerved. Corolla bilabiate; tube 3.5-4.5 mm long, outside glabrous, inside with a ring of plumose hairs below the attachment of stamens; upper lip very short or rudimentary; lower lip 5.5- 6.5 mm long, trilobed, middle lobe smaller, densely covered with hooked or deflexed white hairs inside. Stamens 4, equal, filaments 1.25-1.5 mm long, thicker at the base, glabrous, prolonged above the insertion of the anther; anthers 1.5-1.75 x 0.5 mm, one- celled, margin and apex long ciliated. Ovary cylindrical, 1.5 mm long, glabrous, style 2.5-3.0 mm long, glabrous, base of the style produced downwards encircling the top of the ovary forming an inverted cup-like structure, stigma inconspicuous. [India Biodiversity]

Suberect or procumbent perennial herb, sometimes mat-forming-forming. Stems up to 40 cm long, more or less densely hairy. Leaves linear to elliptic or slightly obovate, up 6 cm long, more or less densely hairy, roughly above and on the edges; margin entire, rolled under. Flowers solitary. Bracts in 4 or 5 pairs, greenish to brown, sometimes with purple veins and blotches, oblong-elliptic to obovate, ending in a recurved bristle with 3-7 purple-red bristles, up to 3 mm long, on each side of the margin. Corolla pale blue to mauve or purple, with darker veins, 8-22 mm long; lip ovate-spathulate, hairy on both sides, 4-10 mm wide, central lobe longer and narrower than side lobes [EOL]

Published articles of  Blepharis molluginifolia
1. Pharmacognostical and preliminary phytochemical investigation of Blepharis molluginifolia, Pers. - a threatened medicinal herb.
Pattar, P. V.; Jayaraj, M.; Arunkumar, B. S.; et al.
Pharmacognosy Journal  Volume: 3   Issue: 19   Pages: 29-33   Published: 2011

2. In vitro vegetative propagation of Blepharis molluginifolia, Pers. - a medicinal plant.
Pattar, P. V.; Jayaraj, M.
International Journal of Life Sciences and Technology (IJLST)  Volume: 4   Issue: 1   Pages: 1-6   Published: 2011