杯状花绿绒蒿 bei zhuang hua lü rong hao

Herbs, monocarpic, to 60 cm tall in flower, with a fleshy, napiform rootstock, to 24 × 15 mm. Leaves all basal, rather few, ovate to ovate-lanceolate or ovate-oblanceolate, 4.5-14.5 × 0.8-1.8 cm, both surfaces sparsely to densely setose, weakly 3-veined from base, base attenuate into petiole 1.5-2.5 cm, apex subacute to subobtuse. Flowers solitary on scape, generally 1 per plant, occasionally 2, horizontal to half-nodding, deeply cup-shaped, with erect rather than spreading petals. Scape erect, 20-55 cm, stout, narrowed and purple-flushed toward top, with numerous spreading to downcurved pale bristles. Sepals boat-shaped, 25-34 mm, adaxially with spreading bristles. Petals (4-)6, azure, sometimes with a purple or lilac flush, with a prominent maroon-black blotch at base, suborbicular to obovate, 4.5-7 × 2.5-4.7 cm, margin undulate to finely and unevenly toothed. Filaments of same color as petals or blackish purple, 11-16 mm, strongly dilated in lower 1/2; anthers purplish black to whitish, 8-20 mm, with cream or white pollen. Ovary ovoid, bristly; styles 10-13 mm; stigmas cream, 3-lobed, just protruding beyond stamens. Capsule unknown. Fl. Jun-early Aug.

● Low montane scrub, grassy slopes in alpine tundra, generally as scattered colonies; 3300-3900 m. SE Qinghai, NW Sichuan.