南湖柳葉菜

Epilobium nankotaizanense Credit: HAST

Loosely matted alpine perennial herb with fleshy scaly soboles below ground; stems 3-18 cm long, often branched, strigillose, sometimes mixed with glandular hairs. Leaves crowded, 0.8-2.1 cm long, 0.5-1.2 cm wide, broadly elliptic to obovate or ovate, subcoriaceous and rather fleshy, weakly denticulate, on petioles 1-3 mm long. Flowers in suberect raceme, slightly nodding in bud; floral tube 1.2-2.8 mm long; sepals 11-17 mm long; petals 16-33 mm long, rose-purple; stigma subglobose with four shallow but evident lobes. Capsules 20-45 mm long, sparsely strigillose and glandular-pubescent, on pedicels 4-7 mm long. Seeds 1.6-1.8 mm long, the surface finely reticulate; coma tawny, persistent. 2n=36. Flowers Jul-Aug; fruit Aug-Sep.

ILAN: Nanhutashan, Hsu 5983, Peng 5743. TAICHUNG: Hsuehshan, Sasaki s. n.1932; Mt. Maborasu, Shikano s. n. 1931. HUALIEN: Kuarenkotyo, Suzuki & Fukuyama s. n. 1936; Chuochenshan, Shikano s. n. 1929.

Distribution: Endemic in Taiwan. Occurs on open scree slopes in the high mountains, 2,600-3,750 m.