YASIN J. NASIR

A stoloniferous perennial. Stolons brownish-red, villous to pubescent, glabrate, clothed with appressed and alternate leaves. Leaves 6-27 x 4-7 mm, lanceolate to elliptic-ovate, silky ovate. Scape solitary, 2-10 cm long, stout, villous. Bracts 4-6 mm long, oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, equalling or shorter than the pedicel, villous. Pedicels 5-10 mm long. Flowers pinkish-mauve. Calyx 3-3.5 mm long, campanulate, c. 1 /3 rd cleft, dense villous, equal to or slightly exceeding the corolla tube. Corolla limb c. 8.5 mm broad, lobes 3.3-5 mm long, obovate-obtuse, wavy to ± lobulate, with a few hairs on the outer surface; throat barely annulate. Capsule slightly exceeding the calyx. Seeds 3-5 in number, 1.5-2.0 mm long, brown, vesiculose.

Fl. Per.: June-July.

Holotype: Sermore, 615.2 (K-Wall!, iso. E! BM! BR!).

Distribution: W. Himalaya from Kumaon to Kashmir.

Knuth (1905, p. 192) cites a specimen collected by Hugel (no. 967) from Pir Panjab (Pir Panjal?, Kashmir) which has also been spelt by him as Pir Panjohl (op. cit., p. 188, line 42). I do not doubt its occurrence in E. Kashmir as I have seen gatherings of the species from the outlying district of Chamba. The var. glabrior Wall. (Type: Kumaon, Blinkworth 615 B, K!, iso. BM! M!) is closely related to Androsace sarmentosa and differs barely in the leafy stolons. Gould (1982, l.c.), gives the distribution of var. glabrior from Kashmir as well.