丰都车前 feng du che qian

Plantago erosa Wallich var. fengdouensis Z. E. Chao & Yong Wang, J. Wuhan Bot. Res. 20: 263. 2002.

Herbs, perennial. Roots numerous, fibrous. Leaves basal; petiole 1.5-10 cm; leaf blade lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 4-15 × 1-4 cm, thinly papery to papery, glabrous or white pubescent near sinus between lobes, veins 3(or 5), base narrowly cuneate to decurrent onto petiole, margin dentate to incised, each side with 1-5 triangular to linear lobes or rarely repand, apex acute to acuminate. Spikes narrowly cylindric, 2-15 cm, densely flowered, loose or interrupted basally; peduncle 4-15 cm, glabrous; bracts ovate-triangular, 2-3 mm, apically ciliolate, keel thick and extending to apex. Sepals elliptic, 2.2-2.7 mm, glabrous; lower sepals longer than upper ones, keel extending to or near apex, apex subacute to rounded. Corolla yellowish, glabrous; lobes narrowly triangular, 1.4-1.6 mm, patent to reflexed, apex acuminate. Stamens adnate only to near base of corolla tube, exserted; anthers yellow, ellipsoid-ovoid, 1.8-2.2 mm. Pyxis fusiform-ellipsoid, 3-4 mm, circumscissile just below middle, with 2 or 3 seeds. Seeds blackish brown, ellipsoid to ovoid-ellipsoid, sometimes angled, with a shallow groove on ventral face; cotyledons parallel to ventral side. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Apr-May. 2n = 24*.

● Seasonally inundated alluvial areas on islets; below 200 m. Chongqing (Banan Qu, Fengdu, Zhongxian).

Plantago fengdouensis is an amphibious plant with a highly restricted distribution, occurring only between 140 and 160 m on the three alluvial islets in Fengdu and Zhongxian counties and Bannan district within the Three Gorges Dam area. The natural habitats were permanently submerged by the water project in Jun 2003. The living plants are conserved at Wuhan Botanical Garden and Beijing Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and were reintroduced to Fengdu in 2008.