Phlomis umbrosa Turczaninow
Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Mosc. 13:76 (1840)

Distribution in the wild:
China, in forests, grassy slopes, streamsides, thickets, wet areas, at 700-3200 m.

Flowering in the wild:June-September

umbrosa means shade loving. However, it grows well in full sun in the UK.

Herbaceous perennial 50-150 cm. Leaf circular-ovate to ovate-oblong, pilose and/or stellate, cordate to rounded at base, serrate-dentate to irregularly crenate at margin, acute to acuminate at apex, 5.2-12 × 2.5-12 cm; petiole 1-12 cm. Floral leaves coarsely serrate-dentate at margin, 1-3.5 × 0.6-2 cm; petiole 2-3 mm. Bracteoles purple-red. Numerous whorls, 4-8 flowered, on much branched purple-red stems. Calyx tubular, 8-10 × 3-3.5 cm, densely stellate hairy, teeth small. Corolla reddish to purple-red, rarely white with red spots on lower lip.  Nutlets hairless.

P. umbrosa Turczaninow var. umbrosa

Leaf lamina papery, orbicular-ovate to ovate-oblong, serrate-dentate or irregularly crenate at margin, terminal tooth not very long. Bracts rigid, linear-subulate, mostly longer than calyx. Whorls inconspicuously pedunculate. Calyx c. 10  × 3.5 cm, stellate puberulent except sometimes pilose on veins. Hardy to -15°C.

P. umbrosa Turczaninow  var. australis Hemsley
J. Linn. Soc. Bot. 26:306 (1890) 

This variety is easily distinguished from the species by the truncated leaf apex. The upper part of the calyx is often purple. It is a good garden plant with nice flowers and habit.

Leaves long petiolate, lamina membranous, crenate-serrate at margin, terminal tooth sometimes very long. Bracteoles soft, linear lanceolate, slightly shorter than the calyx. Hardy to -15°C

P. umbrosa Turczaninow var. stenocalyx (Diels) C.Y. Wu
Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 65 (20:477 (1977)

Synonym:P. stenocalyx Diels

stenocalyx means with a narrow calyx.

Leaves papery. Whorls conspicuously pedunculate, loose. Bracteoles very slender. Flowers pedicellate. Calyx c. 8 × 3 mm.

P. umbrosa Turczaninow var. latibracteata Sun ex C.H. Wu
Acta Phytotax. Sin. 11:46 (1966)

Bracteoles linear-oblong to obovate-oblong, much shorter than the calyx, 5 - 7 × 1.8 - 2.5 mm, entire at margin.

P. umbrosa Turczaninow var. ovalifolia C. Y. Wu
Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 65(2):601 (1977)

The epithet ovalifolia means oval leaved.

Lamina ovate, subcuneate to shallowly cordate at base, stellate pubescent, rarely abaxially stellate-tomentose. Calyx densely stellate pubescent, teeth longer.