藏紫堇 zang zi jin

Herbs, (perennial), alpine, very small. Roots and radical leaves unknown. Stems 5-6 cm, slender at base. Cauline leaves 2, opposite at middle of stem, 1-2 cm, pinnate with 2 or 3 pairs of entire to deeply cleft leaflets; ultimate lobes lanceolate. Racemes corymbose, densely 4- or 5-flowered; bracts petiolate, 7-12 mm, blade obtriangular, flabellate-divided into 7-12 linear-oblong lobes. Pedicel at flowering straight, 4-9 mm. Sepals ca. 1.5 × 1 mm, dentate. Corolla pale ?blue; outer petals crested, rather broad and obtuse; upper petal ca. 17 mm; spur slightly downcurved, ca. 8 mm, slender, acuminate; nectary ca. 2/3 as long as spur; lower petal straight, ca. 9 mm, with slightly undulate margin; inner petals ca. 8 mm. Ovary oblong-ovoid; ovules 10, in 2 rows; style ca. 3 mm; stigma with 4 terminal papillae and 2 pairs of lateral geminate papillae, base rounded. Fl. Jul.

● Alpine flowstone sands; ca. 5100 m. Xizang.

On the label of the type specimen the locality is given only as "Tsang, Logrum Phu," the exact location of which could not be identified other than it is in Xizang. Tsang (Zang) is one of the three major old divisions of Tibet.