Aloysia deserticola
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aloysia deserticola | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A specimen near Socaire, to the south of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Verbenaceae |
| Genus: | Aloysia |
| Species: | A. deserticola |
| Binomial name | |
| Aloysia deserticola (Phil.) Lu-Irving & N.O'Leary | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Aloysia deserticola, also known as rica-rica or kore, is an aromatic shrub that is endemic to the Andean Altiplano, concentrated in the Chilean regions of Arica y Parinacota, Tarapacá, and Antofagasta.
Aloysia deserticola is a branched shrub of 0.4–1.0 metre (1.3–3.3 ft), with cylindrical branches. It has yellow-green opposing leaves, with a "brain-like" appearance, that measure approximately 1.5 millimetres (0.059 in) long and 1.5–2 millimetres (0.059–0.079 in) wide. The leaves are trilobed, more or less rhomboidal in outline, with bumps on the abaxial side and a notable groove on each lobe. The epidermis has a thick cuticle that becomes thinner toward the top of the groove. The adaxial side has thick, whitish trichomes on the upper half and is hairy on the lower half. It has spiciform, terminal, and sessile racemes that are globose to cylindrical, measuring 12–15 millimetres (0.47–0.59 in) in length. It grows lilac flowers, 3–3.5 millimetres (0.12–0.14 in) in length.[2]
