Lippia javanica (Burm.f.) Spreng.

Lippia species are pubescent or glabrous shrubs or undershrubs. Leaves decussate-opposite or ternate, simple, deciduous, sessile or petiolate, margin dentate or serrate. Inflorescence axillary, spicate or fasciled cylindric heads, dense, pedunculate, bracts conspicuous. Flowers sessile. Calyx glabrous, membranous, compressed, Corolla hypocrateriform, 4 lobed, red, purple, white or blue. Stamens 4, didynamous, anthers ovoid. Ovary 2-loculed, 1 ovule in each locule, Style shorter than corolla tube, Stigma oblique or recurved. Fruit drupaceous with 2 seeded pyrenes, seeds nonendospermous.

Flowering class: Dicot Habit: Herb

Flowering : February - March

Flowering and fruiting: December-March

Lippia species flowers are bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: July-March.

Seeds dispersed by anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, endozoochory i.e., dispersal by birds and animals internally, epizoochory i.e., dispersal by animals externally, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

A gregarious strongly aromatic shrub found mainly near the water bodies along with reeds near river bank.. Branches slender, quadriangular and hairy. Leaves small, ovate lenceolate, crenate serrate acute, hairy punctate above, petiole short. Flowers pink, scented, in dense sub capilate spike

Aromatic shrub about 3-6 ft tall, Stem and branches 4 angular, pubescent, striate, stramineous, internodes about 4-8 cm long. Leaves decussate-opposite, lanceolate-elliptic, 3-7 x 1-3 cm across, base acuminate, margin serrate-crenate, apex acute to acuminate, pubescent, chartaceous, scabrid above and beneath, lateral veins 4-7 on either side of the midvein, above impressed, prominent beneath, petiole 0.2-0.5 cm long. Inflorescence axillary spike or fasciled cylindric head, peduncles usually forked, terete about 2-5 cm long, bracts ovate, pubescent, Flowers sessile, Calyx cupular, 2 lobed, lobes obtuse, concave, pubescent, base slightly connate, Corolla hypocrateriform, 2-lipped, unequal 4 lobed, creamish white, pubescent, lateral lobes emarginated, upper lobes suborbicular, Corolla tube, narrow cylindric, sparsely pubescent, Stamens 4, didynamous, filaments slender, anthers creamish yellow, ovoid, Ovary oblong, about 1 x 0.5 mm, 2 loculed, Style about 2 mm long, Stigma subcapitate. Fruit drupe, ovoid, globose, endocarp hard, with two single seeded pyrenes.

Susceptible to insect pests.

Notes: Plains, Riverbanks, Native of Java

Margin of jheels, marshes

Dry deciduous forests

Along streams, river banks and wet places.

Leaves are used as vegetable by Mishing, Bodo & Karbi. Aromatic leaves are also added to various curries for flavour. Leaves are chewed by many people after return from cremation, believed to gain power against devils.

Medicinal

Used as medicine for cough or cold because of its antimicrobial activity. Leaves used as medicine for respiratory problems. Roots used traditionally to treat diarrhea, dysentery and malaria. Essential oil prepared is used as medicine. In 2008 bioactivity of the species was tested against HIV-1 virus, in which two compounds Tagetenone epoxide and trimethyl ether were found to reverse transcriptase enzyme of HIV-1 by 91 and 53 percent respectively.