灰苞橐吾 hui bao tuo wu

Plants grayish green. Stem erect, 35-45 cm tall, 2-4 mm in diam. at base, proximally glabrous, distally white arachnoid-puberulent and shortly yellowish brown pilose. Basal leaves petiolate; petiole 4-11 cm, winged; wings to 6 mm wide, margin entire, shortly ciliate; leaf blade ovate or ovate-oblong, rarely spatulate, 7-21.5 × 3-8 cm, thin, abaxially white pubescent along veins, adaxially glabrous, pinnately veined, base abruptly narrowed into a petiole, margin sparsely denticulate or dentate, apex obtuse or rounded. Middle to distal stem leaves sessile, oblong, 8-13 × to 5 cm, tubular-amplexicaul, margin denticulate, apex obtuse or acuminate. Distalmost stem leaves bracteal, ovate-lanceolate, 4-5 cm, apex acuminate. Synflorescence racemose, to 13 cm; leaflike bracts linear, to 1.5 cm; peduncles 2-4 mm. Capitula 6-17. Involucre turbinate, 7-9 mm, mouth to 9 mm in diam., outside glabrous; phyllaries 7 or 8, in 2 rows, blackish gray, oblong or lanceolate, submembranous, apex obtuse or acuminate. Florets numerous, all tubular, blackish gray, 4.5-5 mm; tube ca. 1.5 mm. Pappus upper part white, lower part yellowish brown, as long as tubular corolla. Fl. Aug.

● Alpine meadows; ca. 4700 m. SW Sichuan.