南湖柳叶菜 nan hu liu ye cai

Herbs perennial, loosely matted with wiry spreading roots and fleshy soboles that creep and root at nodes, with dense basal scales. Stems 3-18 cm tall, usually branched above, strigillose throughout, mixed with glandular hairs on inflorescence. Leaves crowded on upper stems, leathery, rather fleshy; petiole 1-3 mm; cauline blade broadly elliptic to obovate or ovate, rarely to suborbicular, 0.8-2.1 × 0.5-1.2 cm, sparsely strigillose on margin and veins, otherwise glabrous, base attenuate or rarely subtruncate, margin weakly denticulate with 3-7 teeth per side, apex obtuse. Inflorescence ascending; flowers slightly nodding in bud. Sepals 1.1-1.7 cm. Petals rose-purple, 1.6-3.3 cm. Stigma subglobose, shallowly 4-lobed. Capsules 2-4.5 cm, sparsely strigillose and glandular; pedicels 0.4-0.7 cm. Seeds brown, 1.6-1.8 mm, finely reticulate, with short chalazal collar; coma tawny, persistent. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Aug-Sep. 2n = 36*.

● Local on moist open scree slopes in high mountains; 2600-3800 m. Taiwan.