红缨大丁草 hong ying da ding cao

Gerbera ruficoma Franchet, J. Bot. (Morot) 2: 68. 1888.

Herbs, perennial, dimorphic. Vernal phase: no specimens in good state were seen; most specimens are in autumnal phase. Autumnal phase: leaves in rosette, rhizome covered by marcescent fibrous leaf sheath; petiole 4-6 cm, narrowly winged, ± lanuginous; leaf blade oblong or spatulate-oblong, 7-11 × 2-3.5 cm, papery, abaxially densely white lanuginous, adaxially glabrescent, base attenuate, decurrent, margin undulate-runcinate, apex rounded or obtuse. Scapes 1 or sometimes 2, 30-52 cm, arachnoid lanuginous; bracts subulate, 0.5-2 cm. Capitula solitary, terminal, ca. 2 cm in diam.; involucre campanulate; phyllaries 2- or 3-seriate, outer phyllaries linear-subulate, 5-7 mm, inner phyllaries linear, ca. 2.2 cm. Florets cleistogamous, closed, marginal florets female, 1-seriate, bilabiate, outer lips oblong, ca. 1.5 mm, inner lips filiform, reduced; central bisexual florets many, bilabiate, tubular, corolla ca. 5 mm. Achenes fusiform, attenuate into long beak at apex, ca. 9 mm (including beak), pilose, ribbed; pappus orange-colored to dark yellow, ca. 9 mm. Fl. Aug-Sep.

Pinus forests, mountain slopes; 2200-2500 m. Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, Nepal].