紫花合头菊 zi hua he tou ju

Crepis glomerata Decaisne var. porphyrea C. Marquand & Airy Shaw, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 48: 194. 1929; Lactuca porphyrea (C. Marquand & Airy Shaw) Stebbins.

Herbs 2-5 cm tall, perennial, rosulate, acaulescent. Taproot slender. Rosette leaves green to tinged purplish red, with an unwinged basally widened petiole-like portion to 2.5 cm and apically pubescent; leaf blade elliptic, obovate, or spatulate, 1-2 × 0.7-1 cm, abaxially glabrous, adaxially sparsely white pubescent, base broadly cuneate, margin with small irregular sharp teeth, apex obtuse. Synflorescence flat conical, with numerous capitula. Capitula with 3 florets. Involucre narrowly cylindric, 11-13 × 2-3 mm. Phyllaries 3 or 4, lanceolate, apically pubescent. Florets purple, ligule 7-9 mm. Anthers 5-6 mm. Achene obconical, compressed. Pappus 1-1.1 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug.

● Mountain slopes; ca. 4500 m. Qinghai, Xizang.