叶苞紫菀 ye bao zi wan

Aster pseudamellus J. D. Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 3: 249. 1881, not Wenderoth (1831).

Herbs, perennial, 11-50 cm tall, from woody caudices, rhizomatous. Stems erect or ascending, simple, reddish strigillose, minutely stipitate glandular. Leaves cauline, gradually increased in size upward; lowest leaves withered by anthesis, sessile, oblanceolate, scabridulous, minutely stipitate glandular, (sometimes glabrous), margin entire or 1-7-serrulate to coarsely serrate, scabridulous-ciliate, midvein slightly prominent adaxially, apex acute, mucronulate; middle to upper leaves oblanceolate, 1.6-4(-6) × 0.4-1.7(-2) cm, base attenuate to cuneate; synflorescence leaves oblanceolate, 1.4-1.6 × 0.2-0.4 cm. Capitula 1-20 in terminal, corymbiform to paniculate-corymbiform synflorescences, rarely solitary; peduncles 30-70 mm, strigillose; bracts oblanceolate, entire, upper bracts closely subtending capitula. Involucres campanulate, 5-7 mm; phyllaries 2- or 3-seriate, subequal, base hardened, margin erose, ciliate, green in distal 1/3, conspicuous midvein slightly translucent; outer phyllaries narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 5-6 × 1.5-2.5 mm, midvein sparsely to moderately strigillose, proximally minutely stipitate glandular, both surfaces densely so upward, leaflike distally, margin narrowly scarious, apex sometimes spreading, acute, ciliate; middle phyllaries oblong, 5-6 × 1.3-1.8 mm, abaxially proximally sparsely and distally densely minutely stipitate glandular, leaflike in distal 1/4 to only tip, margin ± broadly scarious, apex obtuse, mucronate, distal margin and apex purplish; inner phyllaries linear-oblong, 6-7 × 0.8-1 mm, scarious, apex sometimes purplish. Ray florets 25-30, blue, mauve, or pink, tube sparsely strigillose, lamina 13-16 × 1-2 mm, eglandular; disk florets yellow, 4.5-5 mm, tube apex and limb base sparsely strigillose, sparsely minutely stipitate glandular, limb campanulate, 2.5-3 mm, lobes erect, tip spreading, triangular to narrowly triangular, 1.2-1.5 mm, sparsely strigillose, eglandular. Achenes obovoid, ± compressed, 3-3.5 mm, sparsely to moderately strigillose, sparsely minutely stipitate glandular apically, 2-ribbed. Pappus 3-seriate, dirty white, of slender, barbellate bristles; outer bristles 0.3-1.1 mm; inner bristles 3-3.5 mm, tapering; innermost bristles 4.5-5 mm, tapering. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.

Alpine and subalpine open forests on grassy slopes, rock crevices, screes; 1900-4200 m. W Xizang (Yangsi) [Afghanistan, NW India, Kashmir, Nepal, Pakistan].

Aster indamellus is closely related to A. amellus Linnaeus but differs in having outer phyllaries leaflike, distinctly veined, acute at apex, with broader tips, and by often being glandular. Native to the area from Europe to W Siberia, A. amellus is sometimes cultivated in China.