Much branched annual; stems 1-3 dm, finely hairy; lvs linear to narrowly oblanceolate, often revolute, 1-2 cm; fls few in the uppermost axils, subsessile, subtended by reduced lvs and separated by short internodes, forming compact, spike-like, often secund infls; cal nearly regular, 5 mm, the lobes about equaling the tube; cor pale pink-purple to white, 5-7 mm; style-branches short, slender, subequal; 2n=45-48. Native of the Mediterranean region and sw. Asia, escaped from cult. here and there in our range. July-Sept.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

From Flora of Indiana (1940) by Charles C. Deam

This species has been rather extensively cultivated as a kitchen herb and for its medicinal properties and no doubt it sometimes escapes. It was reported for Clark County in 1878 and for Porter County in 1930 by Lyon. I have seen his specimen. Evidently it is only an occasional escape or the reports would be more numerous.