紫花虎耳草 zi hua hu er cao

Saxifraga haematochroa Harry Smith.

Herbs perennial, densely cespitose, (4-)13-20(-30) cm tall. Stem simple, densely brown crisped villous. Basal leaves with petiole ca. 4.3 cm, brown crisped villous; leaf blade subelliptic, ca. 2.3 cm × 9 mm, both surfaces and margin brown crisped villous. Cauline leaves sessile, oblong, 1.5-2.3 cm × 4-6 mm, both surfaces and margin brown crisped villous, apex obtuse. Flower solitary or cyme 2.8-3.5 cm and 2-4-flowered, ± nodding; pedicels brown crisped villous, sometimes sparsely so. Sepals erect, purple, subovate, ca. 7 × 3.6-4 mm, abaxially and marginally brown crisped brown villous, veins 5, not confluent at apex, apex obtuse. Petals purple, oblanceolate to narrowly so, 1.4-1.5 cm × 2.6-4 mm, not callose, 5-veined, base crisped villous, apex retuse. Stamens ca. 6 mm. Ovary subsuperior, ovoid, ca. 3.5 mm; styles divergent, ca. 1.5 mm. Fl. Jul-Sep.

Scrub, alpine meadows, boulder screes, rock crevices; 4200-5000 m. SE Xizang [Bhutan].

Saxifraga haematochroa is simply a dwarf variant that is only sparsely brown crisped villous.