短筒兔耳草 duan tong tu er cao

Herbs, 5-15 cm tall. Lateral roots few, to 10 cm, 1-1.5 mm in diam.; root crown often with remnants of old petioles. Rhizomes coarse, short. Stems 1-3, longer than leaves. Basal leaves 4-7; petiole 2-6.5 cm; leaf blade ovate to ovate-oblong, 1.6-6 cm, thick, margin irregularly crenate or rarely subentire. Stem leaves numerous, short petiolate to subsessile, smaller than basal leaves. Spikes capitate to oblong, 2-3 cm, to 6 cm in fruit; bracts often longer than corolla tube, suborbicular. Calyx apex of upper side parted 1/4-1/3 of length; lobes ovate-orbicular. Corolla pale blue or white and purplish, 0.8-1.3 cm; tube straight, nearly equalling limb to slightly shorter; lower lip slightly longer than upper lip, 2-lobed, lobes linear-lanceolate; upper lip unlobed, obovate-oblong, apex entire or emarginate. Anthers reniform. Stigma capitate. Fruit narrowly ovoid, ca. 5 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun-Aug.

* Alpine grassland, sandy slopes; 3000-4500 m. SW Gansu, E Qinghai, Xizang.