半荷包紫堇 ban he bao zi jin

Herbs, perennial. Tuber cylindric, 3-6 cm, branched or not. Stems branched, with long pale slender underground parts with 2 or 3 scales. Leaves crowded at base, long petiolate, trifoliolate; leaflets sessile, grayish blue-green, densely mottled with darker and lighter spots and streaks, resembling a lichen-covered rock, orbicular to ovate, 1-3 × 1-2.5 cm, fleshy, obtuse. Racemes umbellate, dense, 3-9-flowered; peduncle 3-10 cm; bracts obovate, (3-)5-15 mm, obtuse. Pedicel straight, 7-30 mm, stout. Sepals rounded, ca. 1.5 mm, shallowly dentate. Flowers light blue, with slightly darker margins. Outer petals acute, usually crested; upper petal ± arcuately upcurved, (1.6-)1.8-2.3 cm; spur nearly straight or upcurved, sometimes downcurved at apex, 1.2-1.5 cm; nectary extended through 2/3-3/4 of spur, apex obtuse; lower petal with rhombic-acute limb, base with shallow sac; inner petals 9-13 mm. Stigma much wider than long, thick, with 2 distinct apical papillae and 2 large diffuse lateral papillae; geminate papillae lacking. Capsule nutant on erect pedicel, obovoid, 7-12 × 3-4.5 mm, explosively dehiscent, 5-10-seeded; style 2-3 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.

● Alpine stony scree; 3500-5300 m. SE Xizang (Shu La N of Meili Xueshan on border with Yunnan), NW Yunnan.