粗喙虫实 cu hui chong shi

Corispermum tibeticum Iljin, p.p.

Plants 5-15 cm tall. Stem erect, green or reddish purple, sparsely hairy, few branched from base; lowest branches ascending or prostrate, upper ones obliquely spreading. Leaves linear or oblanceolate, to 3.5 cm × 3-5 mm, 1-veined, base attenuate, apex acute, mucronate. Spikelike inflorescence 2-14 cm, ± crowded; bracts oblanceolate or linear to lanceolate, 0.5-3 cm × 1-5 mm, 1-veined, base attenuate or rounded, margin usually membranous, apex acute, mucronate, erect in fruit. Perianth segment 1, ovate, apex irregularly lacerate. Stamens 1(or 3), longer than perianth segments. Utricle oblong-obovate, 3-4 × 2-2.5 mm; wing broad, thick, slightly crisped, margin irregularly denticulate-toothed. Fl. and fr. Jul-Aug.

Sandy places in valleys, sandy field margins. Gansu, Xinjiang, NW Xizang (Ngari) [C Asia (Pamir mountains)].

Grubov (Rast. Tsentral. Azii 2: 58. 1966) placed this name in the synonymy of Corispermum tibeticum. He stated that the main difference between these entities is the presence in utricles of C. dutreuilii of a winged rostrum (“a fruit crown”) separated from the main part of the wing. According to Grubov, this is not a stable diagnostic character. Indeed, the “crown” is well developed only in some utricles of the type specimen deposited at LE (however, most of the fruits are immature). Additional studies of this species (or form?) would be desirable.