褶苞香青 zhe bao xiang qing

Herbs, perennial. Stems ca. 10 cm, woody, 1-2 mm in diam., branched; branches ascending or arcuate-ascending, densely cottony tomentose, densely leafy, bi-corymbiform branched at apex of flowering stems, compound corymbiform, 1.5-2 mm in diam. Rosette leaves at apex of sterile branches, linear-lanceolate, 8-10 mm; lower leaves small, 4-5 mm wide, both surfaces densely white cottony tomentose, margin flat, apex obtuse; middle leaves sessile, expanding, linear-lanceolate, 8-10 × 1.5-2 mm, both surfaces densely white cottony tomentose, base somewhat decurrent, margin recurved, apex obtuse, with small cusp; leaves 5-8 mm in synflorescence. Capitula 20-30, arranged in compound corymbiform synflorescences, globose, ca. 5 × 6 mm when dry; peduncle 0-2 mm. Involucre base densely cottony tomentose; phyllaries 4- or 5-seriate; outer phyllaries opaque, somewhat brownish abaxially, ovate or oblong, 2-2.5 mm, apex obtuse; middle ones expanding, middle to apex white, lower parts hyaline, oblanceolate-oblong, sometimes lanceolate, 4-4.5 mm, margin flat, apex rounded, with longitudinal corrugation. Receptacle alveolate. All florets male, sterile; corolla tubular, ca. 2.5 mm. Pappus white, ca. 3.2 mm, with hairs of apex slender and scabrid and easily deciduous. Fl. Sep. 2n = 56*.

● E and S Xizang (Lhasa, Markam).

No specimens of this species were seen by the second author.