Bhusure
Leucosceptrum canum

Family: Lamiaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows to 5 m high. The bark is grey yellow or brown. It peels off. The young branches are covered with a grey or yellow layer. The leaves have stalks. The leaves are 9-25 cm long by 2.5-12 cm wide. They are oval or sword shaped. They taper to the tip and have teeth around the edge. They have dense silvery hairs underneath. The flowers are white or light pink. They occur in dense heads. These are at the ends of branches. They are 10-13 cm long. There are 6 to many flowers. The nutlets are smooth.

There is only one Leucosceptrum species. It is a honey plant.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. In Nepal it grows between 1000-2800 m altitude. In China it grows in dry, open, waste places between 1000 and 2600 m altitude. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Tibet, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten. The fruit are eaten as a vegetable. The young flowers have a sweet taste. They are boiled and eaten.

The fruit are eaten especially by children.

Edible parts

Fruit, flowers

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed.

Its other names

Local names

Bhusure, Dhusre, Ghurbis, Ghurpis, Gurpis, Mi tuan hua, Toti, Xing dong

Synonyms

Clerodendrum leucosceptrum D.Don; Comanthosphace nepalensis Kitamura & Murata; Teucrium macrostachyum Wall. ex Benth.;