Galatella in Flora of China @ efloras.org

125. Galatella Cassini in F. Cuvier, Dict. Sci. Nat. 37: 463, 488. 1825.

乳菀属 ru wan shu

Aster subg. Galatea Cassini, Bull. Sci. Soc. Philom. Paris 1818: 165. 1818; Crinitaria Cassini.

Herbs, perennial; rhizome robust. Stems erect or ascending, usually branched above, rarely simple. Leaves sessile, blade oblong or lanceolate to linear, often gland-dotted, lower 3-veined, mid and upper 1-veined, margin entire, often recurved. Capitula radiate, sometimes discoid, small or medium-sized, in corymbiform synflorescences, rarely solitary. Involucre obconic or campanulate to almost hemispheric; phyllaries 3-5-seriate, greenish or green along midvein, imbricate, membranous, glabrous or puberulent, 1-3-veined, margin usually scarious, outer lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate, apex acute, innermost oblong to oblong-lanceolate, margin more widely scarious, rounded or ± obtuse, apex sometimes acute. Receptacles slightly convex, alveolate, fimbriate. Ray florets sterile, without style, 5-20 in 1 series, rarely absent, lamina pinkish or bluish violet; disk florets bisexual, fertile, 5-60(-100), yellow, sometimes becoming pinkish violet, usually 1.5-2 × involucre length, limb funnelform, lobes 5, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate; anther base obtuse, apical appendage lanceolate; style branch tip lanceolate or triangular. Achenes lanceolate or oblong, ± flattened, strigose, ribbed. Pappus 2(or 3)-seriate, of whitish, sometimes purplish tinged, unequal, ± stiff, barbellate bristles longer than achene, apex acute to ± clavate.

About 40-50 species: C and S Europe to NE Asia; 11 species in China.

The genus Crinitaria, often considered distinct (see Crinitina below), is typified by Chrysocoma biflora Linnaeus, a species that belongs to Galatella (Soják, Zprávy Krajsk. Vlastiv. Muz. Olomouci 215: 1-2. 1982).

1 Leaves not gland-dotted, lower 3-veined, mid and upper 1-veined, or all 1-veined; plants glabrous, glabrate, or sparsely to ± densely arachnoid (2)

+ Leaves gland-dotted on both surfaces or adaxially, sometimes inconspicuously so, lower and mid 3-veined, or mid and upper 1-veined; plants shortly papilliform hairy or glabrate (5)

2 (1) Ray florets absent; leaves linear, 1-veined, upper setiform; phyllaries abaxially shortly arachnoid (partly glabrescent). 11 G. scoparia

+ Ray florets present; leaves lanceolate to oblanceolate or linear-lanceolate, usually 3-veined, upper (sometimes some mid) linear; phyllaries abaxially glabrate or glabrous (3)

3 (2) Lower and mid leaves lanceolate to oblanceolate or linear-lanceolate. 9 G. hauptii

+ Lower and mid leaves linear-lanceolate (4)

4 (3) Involucre subhemispheric; ray florets 15-20, light bluish violet; pappus brownish to pinkish. 8 G. tianschanica

+ Involucre broadly obconic; ray florets 10-15, pinkish violet; pappus yellowish. 10 G. angustissima

5 (1) Ray florets absent (rarely 1-4) (6)

+ Ray florets 4-20, rarely absent (7)

6 (5) Leaves oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, lower and mid 3-veined; capitula numerous in corymbiform synflorescences. 6 G. biflora

+ Leaves linear or linear-lanceolate, lower 3-veined, mid 1-veined; capitula solitary or 2 or 3 in corymbiform synflorescences. 7 G. regelii

7 (5) Ray florets 4-10, disk florets 10-15 (8)

+ Ray florets 8-15, disk florets 24-50 (9)

8 (7) Capitula numerous, usually in dense synflorescences; phyllaries 3-veined, rarely 1-veined, abaxially glabrate. 4 G. punctata

+ Capitula few, in loose synflorescences; phyllaries usually 1-veined, rarely partly 3-veined, abaxially ± shortly arachnoid. 5 G. fastigiiformis

9 (7) Leaf apex acuminate to long acuminate; plants 20-100 cm tall. 3 G. dahurica

+ Leaf apex shortly acuminate; plants 20-60 cm tall (10)

10 (9) Pappus white, entirely or partly tinged pinkish violet; involucre broadly obconic or subhemispheric, 6-8 × 9-12 mm; phyllaries abaxially glabrate. 1 G. chromopappa

+ Pappus yellowish; involucre campanulate to hemispheric, 4-5 × 7-8 mm; phyllaries abaxially usually shortly arachnoid. 2 G. altaica

List of lower taxa