紫苞香青 zi bao xiang qing

Rhizome repent or ascending, brown squamate; withered leaves growing in upper part, with slender root. Stems few (3 or 4), caespitose, erect, 23-30 cm, slightly slender, simple, white pallid tomentose, densely leafy in upper parts. Lower leaves squamate, oblong, withered in efflorescence; leaves gradually larger from middle part to apex of stem, slightly expanding, oblong-lanceolate, 2.5-5 cm × 3-6 mm, base attenuate, almost not decurrent, margin flat, apex acute with short cusp; uppermost leaves as large as or smaller than middle leaves, densely arranged in synflorescence, radiate; all leaves yellowish white, both surfaces tomentose, 3-veined; midvein slightly convex on both surfaces. Capitula 3-5, densely arranged at top of stems, compound corymbiform, without peduncle. Involucre campanulate, 5-6 × ca. 5 mm; phyllaries 4- or 5-seriate, mauve or margin white; outer phyllaries ovate-elliptic, ca. 5 × 2 mm, apex obtuse or lacerate; middle ones oblong, ca. 5.5 mm, keeled, clawed; innermost ones linear-oblong, ca. 4 mm, with a ca. 3/4 of full length claw, apex lacerate. Receptacle with fimbrillate short hairs. Capitula with numerous marginal female florets, center of predominantly female capitula with 3-6 male florets. Corolla tube ca. 3.2 mm, upper parts mauve. Pappus slightly exceeding corolla. Ovary ca. 0.5 mm, glabrous. Achenes not seen. Fl. Aug.

● Alpine meadows; ca. 4000 m. E Xizang.

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