小葶苈 xiao ting li

Herbs perennial, 1-2 cm tall, densely cespitose, scapose. Caudex many branched, ultimate branches terminated in rosettes and covered with leaf remains of previous years. Stems erect, simple, tomentose with stalked, forked and stellate trichomes. Basal leaves rosulate, persistent; petiole 2-7 mm, ciliate with simple and/or long-stalked forked trichomes; leaf blade oblong-elliptic, 3-8 × 1.5-3(-5) mm, subhirsute with stalked, 3- or 4-rayed stellate trichomes with simple, rigid rays, sometimes adaxially glabrous or sparsely pubescent distally, ciliate with simple and forked trichomes, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, apex obtuse. Cauline leaves absent. Racemes 2-6-flowered, ebracteate, only slightly elongated in fruit. Fruiting pedicels 2-5(-8) mm, divaricate-ascending, straight, stout, tomentose all around. Sepals oblong, 2-2.5 × 0.7-1 mm, erect, abaxially sparsely pubescent with simple trichomes, base of lateral pair not saccate, margin not membranous. Petals yellow, obovate, 3.5-4.5 × 1-1.5 mm, apex subemarginate; claw ca. 1 mm. Filaments 1.5-2 mm; anthers ovate-oblong, ca. 0.4 mm. Ovules 16-24 per ovary. Fruit oblong, 5-7 × 3-4 mm, inflated, latiseptate, not twisted; valves glabrous, not veined, base and apex obtuse; style 0.5-0.6 mm. Seeds dark brown, ovate, 0.9-1 × 0.6-0.7 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.

Scree, shaded shelter below rocks; 4300-5600 m. Xizang [Sikkim].

Draba humillima was first recorded from Xizang by Schulz in his monograph (p. 114). However, that record was overlooked in FRPS and Fl. Xizang. (vol. 2. 1985). The occurrence of the species in Xizang is here confirmed based on Strachey & Winterbottom 2 (GH).