天山柳叶菜 tian shan liu ye cai

Herbs perennial, clumped, with fleshy basal soboles or leafy rosettes that leave brown scales or leaves around caudex. Stems 30-50 cm tall, simple, often basally decumbent, strigillose throughout upper stem, subglabrous below, with 2 or 4 raised strigillose lines decurrent from margins of petioles. Leaves with petioles 2-4 mm; cauline blade 3-5 × 0.9-1.4 cm, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, subglabrous with strigillose margin and veins, base subrounded or broadly cuneate, margin serrulate with 14-25 teeth per side, apex acute. Inflorescence slightly nodding; flowers erect. Sepals 4-5.5 mm, keeled. Petals rose-purple, 5.5-6.5 mm. Stigma clavate to subcapitate, entire. Capsules 4-6 cm, sparsely strigillose; pedicels 1.5-2.9 cm. Seeds brown, 1-1.3 mm, coarsely papillose, with inconspicuous chalazal collar; coma dingy white, detaching easily. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Aug-Sep. 2n = 36.

Along rivers, streams, and ditches in mountains; 1000-1700 m. Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan; endemic to Tian Shan region].