四川堇菜 si chuan jin cai

Viola biflora Linnaeus var. acutifolia H. Boissieu; V. biflora var. ciliicalyx H. Boissieu; V. mainlingensis S. Y. Chen; V. manaslensis F. Maekawa; V. prattii W. Becker; V. szet schwanensis var. kangdienensis Chang; V. szetschwanensis var. nudicaulis W. Becker.

Herbs perennial. Stems erect, ca. 25 cm tall, robust, 3- or 4-noded, usually leafless below middle. Stipules narrowly ovate to oblong-ovate, ca. 1.3 cm, both surfaces sparsely puberulous or subglabrous, margin remotely shallowly dentate, apex acuminate; basal leaves long petiolate; petiole 2-3.5 cm; leaf blade ovate-cordate or broadly ovate, 2-2.5 cm, base cordate, apex acuminate; cauline leaf petiole 0.5-1 cm, puberulous, cauline leaf blade broadly ovate, reniform, or suborbicular, 1.5-3 cm wide, abaxially sparsely puberulous, adaxially subglabrous or sparsely puberulous along veins, base shallowly cordate, margin shallowly crenate, apex mucronate or acuminate. Flowers solitary in leaf axils in upper part, yellow; pedicels erect, much longer than leaves, ca. 3 cm, to 4 cm at fruiting, slender, 2-bracteolate at upper part; bracteoles linear. Sepals linear, 4-6 × 0.8-1 mm, 3-veined, apex obtuse, basal auricles very short, glabrous or puberulous, apex truncate. Upper petals oblong, with slender claw, 1-1.2 cm × ca. 2.5 mm, lateral ones and anterior one shorter; spur 2-2.5 mm, apex obtuse. Anthers ca. 1.5 mm, appendage of connectives 1.5-2 mm; spur of anterior stamens short, ca. 1 mm. Ovary densely brown punctate; styles geniculate in lower part, thickened in upper part; stigmas 2-lobed, lobes auricular, thicker, spreading. Capsule oblong, 0.8-1 cm, ca. 4 mm in diam., densely brown dotted and sparsely puberulous. Seeds ovoid, ca. 2 × 1 mm. Fl. May-Sep, fr. Jul-Oct.

Mountain forests, forest margins, grassy slopes, thickets; 2400-4000 m. W Sichuan, Xizang, N Yunnan [Nepal].