多鞘雪莲 duo qiao xue lian

Saussurea nidularis Handel-Mazzetti.

Herbs (3-)6-45 cm tall, perennial. Caudex simple or few branched. Stems solitary or several, 1-4 mm in diam., erect, simple. Rosette and lower stem leaves petiolate; leaf blade narrowly ovate, elliptic, or obovate, 2-20 × 0.5-3 cm, both surfaces green and pubescent, base usually asymmetric and cuneate, rounded, or cordate, margin subentire to shallowly sinuate-denticulate, apex obtuse to acute and mucronate. Middle and upper stem leaves sessile, ovate or obovate and boat-shaped, 3-13 × 0.8-3.2 cm, both surfaces green to purple, base amplexicaul, margin entire, apex acuminate. Uppermost stem leaves boat-shaped, 1.5-6.5 × 0.3-1.6 cm, both surfaces purplish red. Capitulum solitary. Involucre obconic to campanulate, 1-2.5 cm in diam. Phyllaries in 4 or 5 rows, blackish brown or purple, sericeous-villous, apex acute to acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly triangular-ovate, 10-15 × 2-5 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly elliptic, 12-16 × 2-3 mm; inner phyllaries linear, 12-18 × 1-2 mm. Receptacle bristles 2.5-6(-9) mm. Corolla purple, 1.5-1.7 cm, tube 7-9 mm, limb 6-9 mm, lobes 4.5-5.8 mm. Achene straw-colored to blackish, obovoid, 3.8-4.6 mm, indistinctly 5-ribbed. Pappus pale brown; outer bristles 1-5.5 mm; inner bristles (0.8-)1-1.2 cm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Oct.

● Grasslands on mountain slopes, scree slopes, thickets, rocky pastures; 3200-4700 m. W Sichuan, E Xizang, NW Yunnan.

Saussurea nidularis, only known from the type collection, was described from juvenile specimens with capitula in bud stage. It does not differ from S. polycolea in any developed character; its substemless growth form is most probably due to its early developmental stage.

Saussurea polycolea var. acutisquama is a synonym of S. erubescens. The name of the variety was often misapplied for a recently recognized distinct species, S. acutisquama of S. subg. Saussurea.