石莲属 shi lian shu

Plants annual, biennial, or perennial, with reddish brown, thin striations or spots throughout, glabrous or minutely hairy. Roots fibrous. Sterile stems usually present. Leaves mostly in basal rosettes, often with several rosettes per plant, often caducous and lost by anthesis, alternate, apex obtuse or acuminate. Flowering stems erect, ± elongated; stem leaves alternate. Inflorescence terminal or lateral, paniculate-corymbiform with long, basally subopposite branches, rarely simple and racemelike; bracts leaflike, laxly arranged. Flowers erect, pedicellate, bisexual, 5-merous. Calyx subglobose; sepals erect, triangular or triangular-lanceolate, base connate. Petals free or almost so, yellow to red or purplish red, subglobose-urceolate, S-shaped in longitudinal section, apically extrorsely vaulted curved, base concave, apex sometimes thickened. Stamens as many as petals, inserted on sepals, slightly shorter than petals. Nectar scales entire, apex emarginate or dentate. Carpels somewhat wide, base abruptly narrowed. Styles short; stigmas capitate. Follicles many seeded.

Seven species: Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sikkim; seven species (six endemic) in China.