沙生风毛菊 sha sheng feng mao ju

Herbs 3-10 cm tall, perennial, stemless or shortly stemmed. Caudex simple or branched, apically covered with fibrously lacerate remains of petioles. Stem if present solitary, very short, erect, simple, densely white tomentose. Rosette leaves petiolate; petiole 1.5-4 cm; leaf blade narrowly elliptic, 3-11 × 1-3.5 cm, abaxially grayish white and densely tomentose, adaxially green, densely gland-dotted, and arachnoid, margin entire or sinuate-dentate, apex acute to acuminate. Capitulum solitary, in center of leaf rosette or terminal on stem. Involucre broadly campanulate to ovoid, 2-3.5 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 5 or 6 rows, apically purplish, gland-dotted, sparsely tomentose, apex acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 15-16 × ca. 4 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly elliptic, 1.6-2 × ca. 0.2 cm; inner phyllaries linear, 2-2.5 × ca. 0.1 cm. Corolla purple, 1.5-2.2 cm, tube 1-1.4 cm, limb 5-8 mm. Achene cylindric, ca. 3 mm, smooth, glabrous. Pappus dirty white; outer bristles ca. 1 mm; inner bristles ca. 1.3 cm. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep. 2n = 30*.

● Mountain slopes, mountaintops, meadows, sandy areas, dry riverbeds; 2800-4500 m. Gansu, Qinghai, E Xizang.

Saussurea arenaria is similar to S. andryaloides, which differs by smaller capitula, denser leaf indumentum, and lyrate or pinnately lobed leaves. Some specimens are intermediate between the two species.