叙永梅花草 xu yong mei hua cao

Stems 2-5, 8-12 cm, with 3 or 4 leaves. Basal leaves 2 or 3; petiole 2.5-9 cm; leaf blade abaxially greenish, adaxially brown-green, broadly oblanceolate or narrowly ovate, 1.5-5.5 × 1.2-3 cm, 7-veined abaxially, base narrowed or subtruncate, apex acute. Cauline leaves sessile, not amplexicaul, lanceolate, ca. 1/2 as long as basal leaves, base with sparse, rusty brown appendages. Flower 1-1.5 cm in diam.; hypanthium inconspicuous. Sepals brown punctate, oblong or narrowly ovate, 6-7 × ca. 4 mm, 3-veined, margin entire, apex obtuse. Petals white, brown punctate, rhomboid, 1-1.2 × ca. 1 cm, many veined, base cuneate into a claw ca. 1 mm, margin subentire or undulate. Anthers oblong, ca. 1 mm; filaments 4-5 mm; staminodes 3-4 mm, divided into 3 filiform rays with globose glands at apex. Ovary superior; style short; stigma 4-lobed. Capsule unknown. Fl. Jul-Aug.

* Forests by streams; ca. 1000 m. S Sichuan (Xuyong Xian).

The present authors have not seen the type specimen of Parnassia rhombipetala, and the above description is translated from the protologue. It is noteworthy that this species has some peculiar morphological characters, e.g., oblanceolate or narrowly ovate basal leaf blades and rhomboid petals subentire or undulate at the margin.