毛果风毛菊 mao guo feng mao ju

Herbs to 6 cm tall, perennial. Caudex branched, apically covered with brown remains of leaf sheaths, sterile leaf rosettes, and flowering stems. Stem erect, simple, densely white lanate. Basal leaves sessile, linear, 3-8 × 0.2-0.3 cm, abaxially densely lanate and with a conspicuous midvein, adaxially sparsely pilose, base somewhat widened, sheathing stem, and densely lanate, margin revolute, apex acute to acuminate. Stem leaves few, shorter. Capitula 1 or 2, terminal on stem. Involucre campanulate, (0.6-)1.5-2 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 3 or 4 rows, densely brown villous; outer phyllaries green, narrowly ovate, ca. 10 × 2 mm, apically reflexed, apex long acuminate; inner phyllaries basally straw-colored but apically purplish red, linear, 13-15 × 1-2 mm. Corolla dark pink, 1.2-1.3 cm, tube 5-6 mm, limb ca. 7 mm, lobes ca. 3 mm. Achene cylindric, ca. 2 mm, densely white villous. Pappus pale brown but basally purplish. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.

● Mountain slopes; ca. 4900 m. SC Xizang (Namling).

Saussurea pubescens is only known from the type collection.