Misai Kucing

Misai Kuching is a herbaceous shrub, which grows to a height of 1.5m. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs. There are simple, green,and glabrous with a lanceolate leaf blade and a serrate margin. The leaf apice is acuminate with an acute leaf base. The petiole is relatively short, about 0.3cm in length and reddish purple in color. The stem is quadrangle, reddish in color, erect and branches profusely. The flowers are borne on verticils about 16cm in length. The terminal inflorescence is borne on a maroon pubescent. Bracts are green minute (1-2mm), caudiform in shape and two bracts normally holds a cluster of 5 flowers. The flowers are campanulate in shape, white bluish in color with long farexerted filaments, making the flowers look like cat's whiskers.

The flowers are hermaphrodite in nature, about 6.2m in length (including the stamens) with a very irregular flower symmetry. There are two calyx lobes, which are greenish red in color, measuring about 6mm in length and partially gamosepalous. One of the calyx margin is toothed and the other one entire, both covered with minute white hairs. There are two corolla lobes, which are partially gamopetalous and covered with minute hairs. The corollas are light violet in color with lobes much shorter than the corolla tube. The corollas are bilablade in shape with fringed margins. The labellum is light violet in color, hairy and pinkish on the under surface. There are 4 stamens which are inserted near the base of the corolla tube. The stamens are unequal in length, measuring from 4.7cm to 5.2cm. There is a single, central, terete style with a clavate stigma