四川香青 si chuan xiang qing

Rhizome thickish, contorted, with upper leaves dense, withered terminal rosette leaves, and flowering stems. Stems erect or ascending, ca. 20 cm, herbaceous, slender, white-canescent arachnoid tomentose, densely leafy. Lower leaves homomorphic with rosette leaves, spatulate, 0.5-3.5 × 0.3-0.7 cm, base abruptly narrowed into a purple, slender, short or rather long petiole, margin flat, apex rounded or obtuse; middle leaves erect or somewhat expanding, spatulate or spatulate-oblanceolate, 1-1.5 × 0.3-0.6 cm, base decurrent on stem into a indistinct short wing, apex obtuse or slightly acute; upper leaves gradually smaller, linear-lanceolate, with short cusp or withered long cusp; all leaves white-canescent tomentose on both surfaces, sometimes lower leaves glabrous to reveal capitate glandular hairs, indistinctly 1- or 3-veined. Capitula 8-15, densely corymbiform or compound corymbiform. Involucre narrowly campanulate, ca. 5 × 4-5 mm; phyllaries 5- or 6-seriate; outer phyllaries light brown, ovate, ca. 2.5 mm, abaxially tomentose; middle ones white, oblong-elliptic, ca. 4 × 1.5 mm, apex obtuse, but subrounded in male florets; innermost ones spatulate-oblong, ca. 3.5 mm, with a ca. 2/3 of full length claw. Receptacle with fimbrillate appendage. Predominantly female capitula with numerous marginal female florets, center with 5 male florets; predominantly male capitula with male florets only. Corolla tube 2.5-3.5 mm. Pappus exceeding corolla, incrassate at tip of apex in male florets, serrulate. Achenes oblong, ca. 1 mm, densely papillose. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Sep.

● Alpine rocky grassy slopes and calcareous ground; 3500-4500 m. W Sichuan (Kangding, Lixian, Taining).

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