丽江蟹甲草 li jiang xie jia cao

Cacalia lidjiangensis Handel-Mazzetti, Symb. Sin. 7: 1130. 1936.

Rhizomes shortly robust, 1.5-2 cm in diam., with many fibrous roots. Stem solitary, erect, usually red-purple below, distinctly striate, (30-)45-65 cm tall, often long naked except for few brown ovate scales, sparsely arachnoid at middle part. Leaves usually at middle to upper part; petiole as long as or shorter than blade, slender or expanded to 4-15 mm in diam. rounded auricle; blade adaxially green, thin, triangular or hastate-triangular, (5-)6-10 × 5-11 cm, abaxially densely white arachnoid-tomentose except on veins, adaxially densely hispidulous, veins furcate at base, lateral veins connected reticulately, abaxially prominent, base truncate or subcordate, cuneate-decurrent into narrow or broad petiole, subamplexicaul, margin equally deeply undulate-toothed, teeth mucronate, apex acute or acuminate, mucronulate. Upper leaves smaller, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, shortly petiolate. Capitula 12-18, terminal or in upper leaf axils, arranged in racemes or compound racemes; bracts linear-lanceolate, ca. 1 cm; peduncles 2-5(-10) mm, pendulous, white arachnoid. Involucres cylindric or narrowly campanulate, 8-10 × 2-5 mm; phyllaries 6-8, linear-lanceolate, ca. 10 × 1.5-2 mm, glabrous, few veined, margin narrowly scarious, apically obtuse, barbate; bractlets ca. 1/3 as long as phyllaries. Florets 9-12(-14); corolla yellow, or rarely orange-yellow, 8-9 mm, with slender 3-4 mm tube and narrowly campanulate limb; lobes lanceolate, ca. 2 mm, apically obtuse. Anthers exserted from corolla, basally long caudate. Style branches excurved, truncate, papillose. Achenes cylindric, 3-4 mm, glabrous, ribbed. Pappus white, 6-7 mm. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Sep-Oct.

● Understories of Pinus or Picea forests on slopes; 3400-3500 m. Yunnan (Lijiang).