White flet leucas
Leucas decemdentata

Family: Lamiaceae

What it is like

A herb. It grows 0.5-1.5 m tall. The stems are slender and twisted. The leaf stalks are 1 cm long and densely hairy. The leaf blade is 1.5-4 cm long by 1-2.3 cm wide. The leaf is corrugated on the surface and greenish white underneath. There are 2-8 flowers. The nutlets are dark brown and oval. They are 3 sided.

There are about 100 Leucas species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows on roadsides and grasslands between sea level and 2700 m altitude in China.

Countries/locations it is found in

American Samoa, Andaman Islands, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Middle East, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, Samoa, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Tahiti, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna

How it is used for food

The leaves are eaten as a pot-herb.

Edible parts

Leaves

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bai rong cao, Qulikhara, Seta drone, Taw-hnan-gale

Synonyms

Isodeca flaccida (R. Br.) Raf.; Leucas flaccida R. Br.; Leucas javanica Benth.; Leucas leucocephala Miq.; Leucas mollissima Wall. ex Benth.; Phlomis decemdentata Willd.; and others