矮小风毛菊 ai xiao feng mao ju

Herbs 2-4(-8) cm tall, perennial, stemless or shortly stemmed. Caudex 1-3 mm in diam., simple or few branched. Rosette leaves shortly petiolate; leaf blade narrowly ovate-elliptic, narrowly spatulate, or linear-elliptic, 0.8-3(-5) × 0.2-0.7(-1) cm, both surfaces green and glabrous, base cuneate-attenuate, margin subentire to minutely denticulate-serrulate, apex acute to obtuse and mucronate. Stem leaves (if present) similar to rosette leaves. Capitulum 1(-3), in center of leaf rosette or terminal on stem. Involucre campanulate, 1-1.5 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 4 or 5 rows, blackish brown or straw-colored with dark midvein and margin, sometimes tinged purple, glabrous or sparsely villous, apex acute to acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly ovate-triangular, 7-11 × 3-5 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 8-13 × 2-3 mm; inner phyllaries narrowly elliptic-linear, 13-15 × ca. 2 mm. Receptacle bristles 3-5 mm. Corolla purple, 1-1.3 cm, tube 5-7 mm, limb 5-6 mm, lobes 3-3.5 mm. Achene brown, cylindric, ca. 3 mm, glabrous. Pappus straw-colored; outer bristles 1-3 mm, scabrid; inner bristles 1-1.1 cm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep. 2n = 30* (as Saussurea apus but see discussion below).

● Alpine meadows, in turf; 3600-4700 m. Qinghai, Sichuan, Xizang.

Saussurea pumila has often been confused with S. apus. The two taxa are probably closely related. Saussurea apus differs from S. pumila by the usually larger size and always densely glandular, distinctly dentate leaves.