西藏党参 xi zang dang shen

Codonopsis xizangensis D. Y. Hong.

Roots carrot-shaped, up to 20 × 1.8 cm. Stems erect or procumbent, 20-50 cm, branches several to many at lower and middle part, slender. Leaves on main stems alternate, those on branches opposite or nearly so; all leaves sessile or with petiole up to 4 mm; blade cordate, 10-24 × 8-24 mm, glabrous or villous or sparsely hispidulous, margin recurved. Flowers solitary, terminal on main stems and sometimes on upper branches, and rarely also on some slender branches. Calyx tube adnate to ovary up to middle, glabrous; lobes narrowly ovate, 5-13 × 3-5 mm, hispidulous entirely or only at upper part, margins recurved to middle rib; sinus between lobes narrow and pointed. Corolla pale blue with dark blue at base, tubular, 12-15 mm, lobed to 1/3. Stamens glabrous. Capsule globose in inferior part, conical in superior part, 14-16 × 8-10 mm. Seeds ellipsoid, ca. 1 mm. Fl. Jul-Sep, fr. Sep-Oct.

Meadows, grassy slopes, thickets; 3700-4600 m. SE Xizang (Cona) [Bhutan, Nepal].