平龙胆 ping long dan

Perennials 3-6 cm tall. Stolons to 15 cm, much branched. Stemless or stems very short, erect, simple. Stem leaves crowded and surrounding flowers; petiole 5-12 mm; leaf blade broadly oblong to ovate, 0.9-1.5 cm × 7-9 mm, membranous, margin scabrous, apex obtuse; vein 1, abaxially distinct. Flowers solitary. Calyx campanulate; tube 6-8 mm, membranous; lobes ovate to broadly oblong, 4-6 mm, herbaceous, base narrowed, margin scabrous and membranous. Corolla pale pinkish purple, broadly tubular to campanulate, throat sometimes slightly constricted, 2.5-3 cm; lobes ovate, 5-7 mm, margin entire, apex obtuse and cuspidate; plicae pale blue, triangular, 2-3 mm, margin entire, apex obtuse. Stamens inserted at basal part of corolla tube; filaments 8-10 mm; anthers ellipsoid, 2-3 mm. Style 6-8 mm; stigma lobes linear. Fl. Aug.

Steep banks, cliff faces; 3000-4500 m. S Xizang [Bhutan, India (Madras), Nepal, Sikkim]