Ziziphora

a genus of plants of the family Labiatae. They are aromatic perennial or annual grasses. The flowers are small, clustered in heads. There are about 30 species distributed from the Mediterranean Sea to Central Asia. In the USSR approximately 25 species grow on dry mountain slopes, primarily in the Caucasus and in Middle Asia. Almost all species of Ziziphora contain essential oils. The most well-known species are Z. clinopodioides, Z. tenuior, and Z. bungeana. Z. clinopodioides usually forms underbrush in the mountains of Transcaucasia, Middle Asia, and Southern Siberia. Z. tenuior grows in southern European Russia, the Caucasus, and Middle Asia. Z. bungeana is common in Middle Asia and Western Siberia. Many species of Ziziphora are nectariferous.