Ceylon leucas
Leucas zeylanica

Family: Lamiaceae

What it is like

A herb. It grows to 40-120 cm tall. The stems are angular. The leaf blade is oblong and 4-5 cm long by 0.5-1 cm wide. There are coarse teeth along the edge. The flowers are white and in rings in the axils of leaves.

There are about 100 Leucas species. It is used in medicine.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows on seashores and in sunny places. It grows from sea level to 300 m altitude or higher.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam

How it is used for food

It is used as a flavouring. The young leaves are put in curry. They are also cooked as a vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves as condiment, spice

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by seed.

Its other names

Local names

Brobos, Ceylon slitwort, Daun luka-luka, Dorpi, Geta-tumba, Goma madhupati, Guldora, Halkusha, Ketumbak, Kubo, Kulnnphul, Lenglengan, Pachepache, Pachi-pachi, Parbolang, Taw-hnan, Zhou mian cao

Synonyms

Leucas bancana Miq.; Leucas indica (L.) Sm.; Leucas zeylanica (L.) R. Br.; Leucasia zeylanica (L.) Raf.; Phlomis gracilis (L.) Salisb. [Illegitimate]; Phlomis zeylanica L.; and others