拟黄花乌头 ni huang hua wu tou

Caudex obovate or terete, 1--7 cm, 5--10 mm in diam. Stem 20--100 cm, branched or simple, basally nearly glabrous or sparsely retrorse pubescent, apically sparsely spreading pubescent, with leaves equally arranged along stem. Proximal cauline leaves long petiolate, withered at anthesis, middle ones shortly petiolate; petiole 0.5--2.5 cm; leaf blade pentagonal, 2--7 × 2.4--7 cm, abaxially nearly glabrous, adaxially sparsely curved pubescent, 3-sect; central segment broadly rhombic, pinnately parted; ultimate lobes linear, 1--3(--5) mm wide; lateral segments obliquely flabellate, unequally 2-parted nearly to base. Inflorescence terminal, 2--11 cm, 2--12-flowered; rachis and pedicels densely yellowish pubescent; proximal bracts leaflike, others linear. Pedicels 0.6--12 mm, with 2 bracteoles at flower; bracteoles linear, 3--4 × ca. 0.5 mm. Sepals yellowish, abaxially spreading pubescent; lower sepals 1.1--1.4 cm; lateral sepals 1--1.6 cm; upper sepal galeate, 1.2--1.7 cm, beak 2--5.5 mm, 1.2--1.4 cm from base to beak, lower margin slightly concave. Petals glabrous; claw geniculate at apex; limb ca. 7 × 1.4 cm; lip ca. 4 mm, slightly concave; spur subglobose, ca. 1.2 mm. Stamens glabrous; filaments entire. Carpels 4 or 5, densely yellowish villous. Follicles ca. 1.3 cm. Seeds ca. 3.5 mm. Fl. Aug--Sep. 2n = 32+1--2b.

Scrub, grassy slopes; 1400--2000 m. N Xinjiang [Mongolia, Russia].

Alexander N. Luferov (pers. comm.) believes that this taxon is conspecific with Aconitum anthora Linnaeus.