准噶尔乌头 zhun ga er wu tou

Aconitum napellus Linnaeus var. alpinum Regel lusus soongoricum Regel, Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 34(3): 106. 1861.

Caudex obconical, 2--4-chainlike, 2.2--3 cm, 0.7--1.2 cm in diam. Stem 26--120 cm, simple or branched, glabrous, with leaves equally arranged along stem. Proximal cauline leaves withered at anthesis, and middle ones long petiolate; petiole ca. 7 cm; leaf blade pentagonal, 3--12 cm, both surfaces glabrous or nearly so, 3-sect; central segment broadly ovate, base shortly stipitate, subpinnately parted; ultimate lobes narrowly linear, linear, or lanceolate-linear, 3--5 mm wide. Inflorescence terminal, 14--30 cm, 7--30-flowered; rachis and pedicels glabrous or spreading pubescent; proximal bracts leaflike, upper ones linear. Pedicels 1.5--3.2 cm, with 2 bracteoles above middle; bracteoles subulate, 2--3 mm. Sepals purple; lower sepals narrowly elliptic; lateral sepals ca. 1.4 cm; upper sepal navicular or navicular-galeate, ca. 1.6 cm from base to beak. Petals glabrous; limb ca. 2 cm; lip ca. 1 cm; spur incurved, ca. 2.5 mm. Stamens glabrous; filaments entire. Carpels 3, glabrous. Follicles 1.2--1.5 cm. Fl. Aug--Sep.

Mountains, forests; 1200--2200 m. Xinjiang [Kashmir; C Asia].

In FRPS, plants with rachis and pedicels spreading pubescent were treated as Aconitum soongoricum var. pubescens Steinberg. However, this varietal name was never validly published.