Cats whiskers is a fast growing herb that can reach up to two metres tall. It has a wide native range and includes the following countries- China, Australia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Malaysia. It also belongs to a wide range of habitats-from forest margins and thickets to grasslands and roadsides. Areas where it grows are often shady and damp, or sunny and up to 1000m in elevation.
The binomial name has the following meanings:
- Orthosipohon-comes from two Greek words. The first is ‘orthos’ which means straight, the second is ‘siphon’, meaning tube.
- Aristatus-Latin for ‘with ears’
The leaves are rhombic to ovate in shape. They are up to sixteen centimetres long by four centimetres wide. The margins are toothed. Their surfaces are hairy and sessile glands. The leaves are dark green in colour.
The flowers are what caught my eye with this shrub. They are white or pale lilac in colour and conical in shape. What makes them distinctive is the fact that they have long stamens that appear like whiskers that give them their common name. Flowering occurs between April and October.
Cats whiskers is often grown due to its apparent medicinal applications. I cannot confirm whether these are in any way effective or not. I have only seen cats whiskers grown as an ornamental.
https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Orthosiphon~aristatus
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2891054
https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Orthosiphon+aristatus
https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Orthosiphon+aristatus