裂石竹 sui lie shi zhu

Dianthus fimbriatus Marschall von Bieberstein (1808), not Lamarck (1779), nor Brotero (1805), nor Hohenacker (1833).

Herbs perennial, (10--)15--30(--40) cm tall. Roots thick, ca. 1 cm in diam., woody. Stems caespitose, erect, basally woody, distally branched, glabrous. Basal leaves caespitose, linear-subulate, 1--4 cm × 1--1.5 mm, stiff, midvein convex abaxially, base broadened, shortly membranous sheathed, margin revolute, apex sharply pointed; cauline leaves somewhat shorter than basal ones. Flowers solitary, rarely in cymes, terminal; pedicel ca. 1.5 cm; bracts 6 or 8, ovate, 1/4--1/3 as long as calyx, margin membranous, apex mucronate or long acuminate. Calyx slightly glaucous, cylindric, (1.5--)2--2.5 cm × 4--5 mm, striate, glabrous; teeth lanceolate, margin membranous. Petals pink; claw long; limb narrowly oblong, fimbriate for ca. 1/2 its length. Stamens shorter than petals; anthers suboblong. Ovary suboblong. Styles linear. Capsule cylindric, slightly shorter than or equaling calyx, apex 4-toothed. Seeds black-brown, compressed suboblong, 3--4 × ca. 1.5 mm, broadly winged. Fl. May--Aug, fr. Aug--Sep.

Mountain slope grasslands, rocky areas, river banks, dry rocky deserts; 900--2200 m (Xinjiang), 3100--4100 m (Xizang). N Xinjiang, W Xizang [SW Asia].

The Chinese populations of Dianthus orientalis appear to be disjunct from the main range of the species and therefore deserve further study. Rechinger (Fl. Iran. 163: 155–166. 1988) recorded nine subspecies from SW Asia, ranging from Turkey to Iran, but no further east, even though the coverage of that flora extends to the western border of China.