滇藏虎耳草 dian zang hu er cao

?Saxifraga lamarum Harry Smith.

Plants many branched, 3.5-6 cm tall, with crowded shoots forming cushions. Flowering stem 1.5-3.4 cm, densely dark brown glandular hairy. Shoot leaves aggregated into a rosette, subspatulate to suboblong, 3.3-5 × 1.1-2 mm, leathery, both surfaces glabrous, chalk glands 3-7, margin cartilaginous ciliate proximally, apex rather recurved, obtuse. Cauline leaves 4-6, linear to subspatulate, abaxially convex, adaxially subconcave, 4.5-5 × 0.9-2 mm, leathery, abaxially glandular hairy, adaxially glabrous, chalk glands 3-5, margin glandular hairy, apex obtuse, glabrous. Cyme corymbose, 3- or 4-flowered; pedicels glandular hairy. Sepals erect, subovate, 2-2.8 × 1.2-2 mm, leathery, abaxially and marginally dark brown glandular hairy, chalk glands 1-3, veins 3, confluent or not at apex, apex obtuse. Petals pink or purple, spatulate to narrowly obovate, 3-5.1 × 1.3-3 mm, 3-5-veined, base usually gradually narrowed into a claw, apex obtuse. Stamens ca. 5 mm. Ovary semi-inferior, broadly ovoid, 2-3 mm; styles 1-2.8 mm. Fl. May-Aug.

* Cliffs, alpine rock crevices; 3500-4800 m. E and S Xizang (Baxoi Xian, Lhasa Shi), NW Yunnan (Dêqên Xian, Zhongdian Xian).

The Chinese plants identified in FRPS as the NW Himalayan Saxifraga meeboldii Engler & Irmscher evidently belong to S. decora. The description in FRPS states that the petals are "pink or purple," but in true S. meeboldii they are yellow. It appears that the description applies to one or both of the synonyms that were listed under S. meeboldii, namely S. decora and S. lamarum. Although most of the characters distinguishing the latter two taxa are encompassed by the description in FRPS, the glandular hairy sepal surface clearly points to S. decora (S. lamarum has sepals abaxially glabrous). Therefore, the present authors have provisionally taken S. decora to be the species intended in FRPS under S. meeboldii. It remains to be seen whether S. lamarum is synonymous.