牛耳风毛菊 niu er feng mao ju

Saussurea nobilis Franchet; S. woodiana f. caulescens Lipschitz; S. woodiana f. subacaulis Lipschitz.

Herbs 3-8(-25) cm tall, perennial, stemless or cauliferous. Stem solitary, erect, simple. Rosette leaves subsessile or petiolate; petiole winged; leaf blade elliptic to obovate, 5-20 × 1.5-7 cm, abaxially grayish green or brownish and densely tomentose, adaxially green and glandular hairy, base attenuate, margin subentire, apex obtuse to subacute. Stem leaves 1-3, similar to basal leaves. Capitulum solitary, in center of leaf rosette or terminal on stem. Involucre campanulate, 2-2.5(-3) cm in diam. Phyllaries in 5 or 6 rows, straw-colored but purplish apically and near margin, densely yellowish villous, apex long acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly triangular-ovate, 8-20 × 3-5 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 1.9-2.3 × 0.4-0.6 cm; inner phyllaries narrowly elliptic, 2.8-3 × 0.2-0.3 cm. Corolla purple, 2.8-3.2 cm, tube (1.4-)1.8-2.2 cm, limb 1-1.2 cm, lobes 6-8 mm. Achene cylindric, ca. 4 mm, glabrous. Pappus pale brown; outer bristles ca. 3 mm, scabrid; inner bristles ca. 2.2 cm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.

● Montane grasslands; 3000-4200 m. Qinghai, Sichuan.