美丽老牛筋 mei li lao niu jin

Arenaria formosa var.latipetala Maximowicz.

Herbs perennial. Principal roots hard, woody; rootlets slender. Stems densely pulvinate, erect, 4--10 cm, white glandular hairy distally, with dense, brown, withered, persistent leaves at base. Leaf blade linear or linear-subulate, 1.5--4 cm × ca. 1 mm, broadened and forming a short sheath at base, margin not involute, apex acuminate. Cymes 1--3-flowered; bracts ovate-lanceolate, 2--3 × 1--1.5 mm, glandular hairy, base broadened, margin narrowly membranous, apex acuminate. Pedicel 5--10 mm, glandular hairy. Sepals 5, ovate-lanceolate or ovate, 5--6 × 2--3 mm, ± glandular hairy, base broadened, apex acute. Petals 5, white, obovate or obovate-orbicular, 0.8--1.2 cm. Floral disc with 5 glands; glands at base of filaments opposite sepals pale brown, orbicular. Stamens 10, 5 long and 5 short; anthers yellow. Ovary obovoid, ca. 2 mm. Styles 3, ca. 6 mm. Fl. Jul--Aug.

Mountain grasslands; 2000--2200 m. Gansu, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia].