绒毛苓菊 rong mao ling ju

Jurinea flaccida C. Shih.

Herbs 15-50 cm tall, perennial. Caudex stout, apically covered with remains of petioles, densely lanate. Stems solitary or several, erect, simple or branched from base. Basal leaves petiolate; petiole 4-6 cm; leaf blade narrowly obovate to elliptic, 5-10 × 2-3 cm, lyrately pinnately lobed, abaxially grayish white and densely tomentose, adaxially green and glabrous or sparsely arachnoid and gland-dotted; lateral lobes 3-10 pairs, ovate to elliptic, margin entire, apex obtuse to rarely acute; terminal lobe larger than lateral ones. Lower and middle stem leaves few, shortly petiolate to sessile, similar to basal leaves. Uppermost stem leaves linear, usually undivided. Capitulum solitary at end of branches. Involucre bowl-shaped, 2-3 cm in diam. Phyllaries in ca. 6 rows, appressed, sparsely arachnoid, gland-dotted, apex spiniform-acuminate; outer phyllaries triangular, 6-10 × 1-2 mm; middle and inner phyllaries narrowly triangular-ovate, 10-18 × 1-2 mm. Corolla reddish purple, 1.6-1.7 cm, tube 4-7 mm, limb 1-1.2 cm, lobes ca. 5 mm. Achene cylindric-obconic, 5-6 mm, apically spinulose-tuberculate. Pappus bristles white, barbellate, 0.8-1.2 cm, with 1 or 2 of inner ones much longer than others, not connate into ring, persistent. Fl. May-Aug, fr. Jun-Sep.

Alpine and subalpine forest meadows, steppes, wastelands, roadsides; 1200-2900 m. NW Xinjiang (Zhaosu) [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan].