毛萼獐牙菜 mao e zhang ya cai

Annuals 5-25 cm tall. Roots yellow, fibrous. Stems procumbent to ascending, branched. Basal leaves withered at anthesis. Stem leaves sessile, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 0.9-1.5 cm × 2-5 mm, base obtuse and subamplexicaul, margin slightly revolute, apex obtuse, veins 1-3. Inflorescences many-flowered panicles formed by the whole plant. Flowers 5merous. Pedicel erect, to 3.5 cm, subquadrangular. Calyx tube 1-1.5 mm; lobes ovate-lanceolate to ovate, 7-9 mm, apex acute, veins 3. Corolla pale purple, 1-1.2 cm in diam., tube 1-1.5 mm; lobes ovate, 7-11 mm, apex acute to obtuse. Nectaries 2 per corolla lobe, pocket-shaped and opening toward base of corolla, with a suborbicular scale and many short fimbriae. Filaments 5-7 mm, basally much enlarged, free; anthers ellipsoid, 1-1.5 mm. Style 3-4 mm, slender; stigma lobes capitate. Capsules ovoid-ellipsoid, 1.2-1.6 cm. Seeds dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.8-1 mm; seed coat smooth. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct.

3400-5200 m. Xizang [Nepal]

Lower Taxa

• Swertia hispidicalyx var. hispidicalyx
• Swertia hispidicalyx var. minima Burkill