中华风毛菊 zhong hua feng mao ju

Saussurea salicifolia (Linnaeus) Candolle var. chinensis Maximowicz, Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 54(1): 28. 1879; S. denticulata Ledebour var. chinensis (Maximowicz) Y. Ling.

Herbs 30-75 cm tall, perennial. Stem solitary, simple or apically branched. Basal leaves withered at anthesis. Lower stem leaves sessile, narrowly ovate-elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 9-10 × 1.5-2.5 cm, abaxially white, densely tomentose, and gland-dotted, adaxially green and glabrous, base cuneate, margin denticulate, apex long acuminate. Middle stem leaves sessile, narrowly ovate-elliptic, 9-12 × 1.5-2.5 cm, base semiamplexicaul, margin denticulate, apex acuminate. Upper stem leaves sessile, narrowly elliptic to linear, margin entire. Capitula 10-20, in a compact corymbiform synflorescence, pedunculate. Involucre cylindric, 4-5 mm in diam. Phyllaries in 4 or 5 rows, greenish yellow, apically purple, sparsely pubescent; outer phyllaries ovate, 2-3 × 1-1.5 mm, sparsely arachnoid, apex acuminate; middle phyllaries narrowly elliptic to linear, 3-8 × 1-2 mm, apically densely appressed villous; inner phyllaries linear, 7-8 × 1-1.5 mm, apex obtuse to acute. Receptacle bristles 2-3 mm. Corolla pale purple, 8-9 mm, tube 3-4 mm, limb 4-5 mm, lobes 2-2.5 mm. Achene brown, ca. 2 mm, glabrous. Pappus straw-colored; outer bristles 1-3 mm; inner bristles 5-7 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Sep.

● Grasslands on mountain slopes; 1900-2300 m. Hebei (Xiaowutai Shan).

Saussurea chinensis is very close to S. polycephala, only differing by fewer capitula in a smaller and more compact synflorescence.