棉头风毛菊 mian tou feng mao ju

Saussurea pallidiceps Handel-Mazzetti.

Herbs 45-75 cm tall, perennial. Stem solitary, erect, apically branched, winged, arachnoid; wing entire. Lower stem leaves shortly petiolate; petiole to 3 cm, base widened, semiamplexicaul, and decurrent; leaf blade ovate, 5-10 × 3-7 cm, lyrately pinnatisect or pinnately lobed, abaxially grayish white and thinly arachnoid, adaxially green and glabrous; lateral segments 1-3 pairs, elliptic, broadly ovate, or suborbicular, 0.3-2 cm; terminal segment broadly ovate, 3.5-8 cm, base shallowly cordate, margin denticulate or subentire, apex acute to obtuse. Middle and upper stem leaves petiolate or sessile, gradually smaller upward on stem; leaf blade lyrately pinnate or undivided; lateral segments 1 pair and elliptic or absent; terminal segment ovate-cordate, 2.5-7 × 2-4.5 cm. Capitula numerous, in a corymbiform or paniculiform synflorescence, pedunculate. Involucre campanulate, 1-1.7 cm in diam. Phyllaries in ca. 5 rows, apically densely yellowish brown villous, apex acuminate and mucronate; outer phyllaries ca. 5 × 2-3 mm; middle and inner phyllaries narrowly elliptic to linear, 10-14 × 2-2.5 mm. Corolla purple, ca. 1 cm. Achene glabrous. Pappus brown; outer bristles ca. 4 mm, scabrid; inner bristles ca. 1 cm. Fl. Aug-Sep.

● Montane grasslands; 1900-2900 m. SW Sichuan (Muli), NW Yunnan (Lijiang).