秦岭火绒草 qin ling huo rong cao

Herbs, perennial. Rhizome stout and branched, densely covered with black-brown relicts of leaves, forms rather caespitose of several stems and sterile leaf rosettes. Stems erect and firm, 10-28 cm tall, ash-colored arachnoid lanate. Leaves discolored on both sides, abaxially densely white arachnoid lanate, adaxially greenish glabrate; cauline leaves linear-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 30-90 × 3-10 mm, base narrowed, apex obtuse or acute, basal ones usually larger than upper ones; radical rosette leaves oblong-spatulate or narrowly oblong, 20-50 × 5-8 mm, narrowed in sheath. Capitula 5-9, heterogamous, in sparse corymbs, 6-8 mm in diam.; peduncles ca. 1 cm, connate with base of bracteal leaves; bracteal leaves similar to upper cauline leaves in shape, size, and indumentum, but slightly narrower, forming an irregular star of 6-8 cm in diam. Phyllaries 3- or 4-seriate, oblong, ca. 4 mm, abaxially densely white tomentose, apex purplish brown, obtuse or lacerate, glabrous. Corolla ca. 3 mm, purplish brown above. Achenes ca. 1.8 mm, glabrous. Pappus purplish brown, 2-3 mm, serrulate. Fl. May-Aug, fr. Jul-Sep.

● Subalpine stony scree slopes, grasslands; 2000-3200 m. Shaanxi (Taibai Shan).

This is a distinct and very rare species endemic to China.