菱叶马蓝 ling ye ma lan

Diflugossa paupera (C. B. Clarke) Bremekamp; Goldfussia oligocephala (T. Anderson ex C. B. Clarke) Bremekamp; G. thomsonii Hooker; Strobilanthes oligocephala var. treutleri C. B. Clarke; S. paupera C. B. Clarke.

Subshrubs 30-50 cm tall, much branched, anisophyllous. Stems decumbent and basally rooting at nodes but eventually erect, pubescent to subglabrous. Petiole 0.5-4 cm but apicalmost leaves sessile; leaf blade rhombic, elliptic, narrowly ovate, or apicalmost suborbicular, 4-12 × 1.5-6 cm, abaxially glaucous and glabrous or pilose along veins and margin, adaxially green, glabrous, and densely covered with prominent cystoliths, secondary veins 5-7 on each side of midvein, base attenuate and decurrent onto petiole, margin serrate, apex abruptly acuminate and falcate. Inflorescences terminal or arising from apical leaf axil, simple or branched, subcapitate with ca. 2 flower pairs to shortly spicate, 4-5 cm; peduncle 1-5 cm, glabrous or pubescent; bracts ovate to oblong, 0.8-1.5 × 0.7-1.3 cm, caducous, green when young but soon scarious, often becoming gland-tipped pilose, apex acute; bracteoles ca. 2 × 1 mm, caducous so often appearing absent. Calyx 1-1.8 cm, gland-tipped pilose, 5-lobed almost to base; lobes narrowly lanceolate with one slightly longer than others, apex acuminate. Corolla blue or white, 3.5-5 cm, ventricose, outside gland-tipped pubescent but sometimes only on lobes, inside glabrous except for trichomes retaining style; tube basally cylindric and ca. 2.5 mm wide for 1-1.5 cm then bent and widened to ca. 1 cm at mouth; lobes oblong, ca. 6 × 5 mm, apex obtuse. Stamens 4, included; filaments sparsely hirsute, shorter pair ca. 4 mm, longer pair ca. 7 mm; anther thecae oblong-ovoid, ca. 2 × 1.2 mm. Ovary comose; style 2.8-3.2 cm. Capsule ca. 1.4 cm, apically gland-tipped pilose, 4-seeded. Seeds ovate in outline, ca. 3 × 2.5 mm, densely pubescent. Fl. Jul-Nov.

Thickets on limestone hills; 2600-2800 m. Xizang (Cona) [Bhutan, India, Nepal].