红花合头菊 hong hua he tou ju

Herbs, perennial, rosulate and acaulescent or exceptionally caulescent with a thick hollow densely leafy stem to 20 cm tall. Taproot slender. Leaves glabrous; petiole to 1 cm, broadly winged; leaf blade obovate, elliptic, or ovate, 3-8 × 0.5-2.2 cm, base cuneate, margin coarsely dentate, apex rounded to obtuse. Leaves immediately below synflorescence somewhat smaller. Synflorescence flat conical, 5-6 cm in diam., with numerous capitula. Capitula with 3 florets. Involucre narrowly cylindric, 10-13 × ca. 3 mm. Phyllaries 3(or 4), lanceolate, abaxially glabrous, apex obtuse to rounded. Florets pale rose. Achene not seen when mature, brown, obconical, compressed, apex truncate. Pappus 8-9 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug.

● Sandy riverbanks; 3700-3800 m. SC Xizang (Zhanang).

The elevation of "3100 m" given in the original description of Syncalathium roseum is probably erroneous. Recently, it has been found in the area of the type locality along the Yarlung Zangbo Jiang only at the higher elevation given above (J. W. Zhang, per. comm.).