Peter C. Hoch and Peter H. Raven

Circaea micrantha Skvortsov, Bull. Chief Bot. Gard. Moscow 103: 36. 1977.

Delicate herbs, 0.4-2.5 dm tall, simple or very rarely branched below the inflorescence, forming subterranean rhizomes terminated by tubers. Stem glabrous or minutely pubescent, very rarely densely pubescent with short recurved hairs; axis of the inflorescence pubescent, often densely so, with short glandular hairs. Leaves narrowly ovate to broadly triangular, commonly translucent, acute or very short acuminate at the apex, truncate or more commonly cordate at the base, sharply dentate to serrate, glabrous, or pubescent along the veins above. Largest leaf blades 1-6.5 x 0.8-4 cm. Petioles 0.7-3 cm, glabrous or pubescent. Pedicels 0.7-1.6 mm, glabrous, erect or ascending at anthesis. Unilocular ovary glabrous at anthesis. Floral tube up to 0.4 mm long. Sepals 2, 0.8-1.5 x 0.6-0.9 mm, glabrous, white or pink, often tinged with purple at the apex, spreading at anthesis. Petals 2, 0.6-1.5 x 0.6-1 mm, white or pink, obtriangular to obovate in outline, the apical notch 1/5 or less the length of the petal. Stamens 2, erect at anthesis, equaling the style. Style erect, 0.6-1.4 mm. Mature fruit 2.2-2.7 x 0.8-1.2 mm, clavate, tapering smoothly to the pedicel, covered with soft uncinate hairs. Fruiting pedicels spreading or very slightly reflexed. Chromosome number unknown.

Type: China, Kansu, at the temple of Tcheibsen-hit, 9000 ft., 30 Aug. 1901, V. Ladygin 514 (Holotype: LE).

One collection labelled "Pakistan, Chon, Thana, 19 Sept. 1871" (LIV).

Moist grassy places, thickets and coniferous forests at high elevations. 3100-5000 m. elevation. Circaea alpina subsp. micrantha differs from subsp. alpina in only minor details and may not warrant formal recognition. C. alpina subsp. micrantha has not been collected in Pakistan in over 100 years and may be extinct here; Distribution: Pakistan (one collection); north-western India through the Himalayas to western China.