lemony mint family member - Dracocephalum moldavica, Moldavian Dragonhead

This plant is used as a wild edible flavoring herb or maybe even grown or naturalised in gardens here in Ladakh. It has a lemony smell, not as strong and sweet as some herbs. It's definitely mint family, with square stems and opposite leaves. When small, the leaves are shaped like lemon balm (Melissa) but the leaves are smooth whereas Melissa is fuzzy, and anyway as it gets bigger the leaves elongate. The leaves are smooth like, say, spinach, but as it forms flower buds, the upper leaves or bits around the buds get long hairs. The flowers are white.

I cooked some up like spinach with onion and it was very nice.

I'd love to know its ID!

What a pretty plant! I am bumping this up in hopes that somebody will see it who knows what it is.

Scabland Penstemon (Penstemon deustus)

Didn't realize this was from the Himalayas, so that may be incorrect.

Thanks for reminding me! I later got the ID on this. It is Dracocephalum moldavica, "Moldavian Dragonhead." I still use it in leafy salad and enjoy its white or purple flowers.

What an amazing place to live and work!