Ajuga pyramidalis, L.

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1972, Flora Europaea. Volume 3. Diapensiacea to Myoporaceae, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press : 128

3. A. pyramidalis L. , Sp. Pl. 561 (1753).

Rhizomatous perennial without stolons; stems 5-30 cm, subglabrous or lanate-villous. Lower leaves 40-110x15^45 mm, obovate, entire or crenate-dentate, the basal usually persistent. Bracts ovate or obovate-orbicular, sometimes lobed, usually tinged with blue or violet, all exceeding the flowers. Verticillasters usually crowded, 4- to 8-flowered. Calyx 5-8 mm, the teeth as long as the tube. Corolla 10-18 mm, pale violet-blue, rarely pink or white; tube exceeding calyx; upper lip entire. Stamens slightly exserted; filaments glabrous. 2« = 32. Europe, southwards to N. Portugal, N. Italy and Bulgaria, but absent from most o f the U.S.S.R. Al Au Be Br Bu?Co Cz Da Fe Ga Ge Hb He Hs Is It Ju Lu No Po Rm Rs (B, C) Su.

Plants from Portugal have sometimes been treated as subsp. meonantha (Hoffmanns. & Link) R. Fernandes , Bol. Soc. Brot. ser. 2, 34: 131 (1960), or as a distinct species, A. occidentalis Br. - Bl., Agron. Lusit. 18: 89 (1956). They are densely villous with thick leaves, and the calyx has a narrow tube and narrow, acute teeth. These differences do not, however, seem to merit recognition at more than varietal rank.

A. rotundifolia Willk. & Cutanda , Linnaea 30: 120 (1859), from mountain slopes of C. Spain, has stolons, spathulate lower leaves and lanceolate, acuminate calyx-lobes. It has sometimes been treated as a subspecies of 3 but its status is not clear.