毛鳞菊 mao lin ju

Basionym: Lactuca beesiana Diels, Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 5: 201. 1912; Chaetoseris beesiana (Diels) C. Shih; C. lyriformis C. Shih.

Herbs ca. 1 m tall, perennial. Stem solitary, erect, apically branched and glandular hairy. Lower and middle stem leaves with petiole 3-7 cm, ± winged, basally semiamplexicaul; leaf blade 7-17 × 4-13 cm, lyrately pinnatisect, abaxially glandular hairy, base cuneate, margin dentate; lateral lobes 1 or 2 pairs, ± elliptic; terminal lobe broadly triangular-hastate, ovate, or triangular, comprising most of blade, apex acute to acuminate. Upper stem leaves similar to middle stem leaves but smaller; uppermost leaves sessile, linear-lanceolate to elliptic, not divided. Synflorescence narrowly racemiform or paniculiform, with few to several capitula. Capitula with usually 15-25 florets; peduncle 0.5-3 cm. Involucre cylindric to narrowly campanulate, 1.2-1.5 × 0.4-0.7 cm. Phyllaries dark green, abaxially densely glandular hispid, apex acute to obtuse; outer phyllaries narrowly triangular to lanceolate. Florets purple. Achene ca. 5 mm; body dark brown, broadly ellipsoid, compressed, lateral ribs broadened, apex attenuate into a pale 1-2 mm beak. Pappus double, outer hairs ca. 0.1 mm, bristles ca. 7 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 16*.

● Forests, wastelands, farmlands; 700-3700 m. Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan.

Melanoseris beesiana was established by C. Shih (Acta Phytotax. Sin. 29: 405. 1991) as Chaetoseris lyriformis (providing the type of the generic name Chaetoseris), but Lactuca beesiana provides an older epithet. It is, no doubt, closely related to the more widespread M. cyanea and mainly distinguished from the latter by its regularly lyrately pinnatisect lower and middle stem leaves and somewhat smaller involucres. With some reservation, species rank is maintained for this taxon, but future research may reveal that subspecies rank is perhaps more appropriate.