稀子黄堇 xi zi huang jin

Herbs, perennial, 10-15(-20) cm tall, glabrous or often papillose-pubescent; stems and petioles of radical leaves attenuate to filiform underground base. Storage roots unknown. Stems simple or branched with 2-4 leaves, ascending. Radical leaves well developed at anthesis; petiole 4-8 cm; blade glaucous abaxially, adaxially dark green, or both surfaces gray-glaucous, ovate, 3-4 × 2-3 cm, pinnate to bipinnate to sub-triternate; pinnae 2 or 3 pairs, shortly stalked, deeply biternatisect; lobes oblanceolate, 3-8 × 2-3 mm, mucronate. Cauline leaves like radical leaves; lower petiole 0.5-7 cm, upper leaves sessile; uppermost leaves smaller, less divided, often not to midvein. Raceme simple or branched at base, dense at flowering, 8-20-flowered, at fruiting gradually distant; lower bracts 8-17 mm, unequally pinnati- to palmatisect to pectinate-dentate; upper bracts smaller, lanceolate, entire, acute. Pedicel 5-10 mm in flower, at fruiting elongated to 12-22(-30) mm, arcuately recurved. Sepals 0.2-0.6 × 0.5-1 mm, deeply dentate. Corolla yellow, with greenish to brownish keels; veins distinct or indistinct; outer petals subobtuse, margin undulate-crenate, with apically broad (1.5-2 mm) obtuse dentate crest long decurrent on spur; upper petal 14-17 mm; spur usually slightly downcurved and tapering at apex, cylindric, 6-9 mm; nectary 1/2(-2/3) as long as spur, slender; lower petal 8-9 mm, with broad rounded shortly mucronate limb, gradually narrowed to base, claw indistinct; inner petals 7-8 mm. Stigma square; 2 marginal central papillae distinct, lateral marginal broad and indistinct; geminate papillae sublateral and terminating in well-developed basal lobes. Capsule narrowly obovoid to oblong, 7-8 × ca. 2 mm, 1-5-seeded. Seeds in 1 row, ca. 2 mm, smooth; caruncle large, fleshy.

● Alpine scree (limestone); 3700-4500 m. SE Xizang (Dêngqên, Lhari, Zayü).