丛生刺头菊 cong sheng ci tou ju

Herbs 8-14 cm tall, perennial. Rootstock well developed. Stems many, tufted, unbranched, unwinged, cobwebby. Leaves ± concolorous, grayish white, sparsely cobwebby. Basal leaves with winged petiole 1-2 cm; leaf blade elliptic, 1-2 × 0.8-1.3 cm, pinnatisect; segments 4-6 ± opposite pairs, triangular to triangular-lanceolate, patent at right angle, margin revolute, apical spine 1-2 mm. Cauline leaves few, similar to basal leaves but smaller, sessile. Capitulum 1. Involucre bowl-shaped, 1.5-2 cm in diam., sparsely cobwebby. Phyllaries in ca. 5 rows, abaxially purplish red; outer and middle phyllaries triangular, 5-12 × 1.5-2 mm, apex narrowed into a 1.5-2 mm spine; inner phyllaries broadly linear, ca. 15 × 1 mm, apex acuminate. Corolla purplish red, ca. 1.2 cm, tube ca. 9 mm. Achene brown, ca. 5.5 mm, ribs apically prolonged into a tooth. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.

Rocky mountain slopes; ca. 3200 m. W Xinjiang (Wuqia) [Kazakhstan].