倒披针叶风毛菊 dao pi zhen ye feng mao ju

Herbs 5-10(-15) cm tall, perennial. Caudex usually simple, apically covered with fibrous remains of petioles. Leaves petiolate; petiole 1-7 cm; leaf blade obovate to narrowly obovate, 3.5-12 × 1-3 cm, shallowly pinnately lobed or undivided and margin sinuate-dentate, abaxially grayish white and densely arachnoid tomentose, adaxially green, scabrid, and densely covered with articulate hairs; lateral lobes 4-6 pairs, triangular-ovate to almost orbicular, 3-8 × 5-10 mm, margin denticulate, apex acute and mucronate. Capitula solitary or 2-5, in a corymbiform synflorescence, sessile or pedunculate. Involucre ovoid-campanulate, 5-12 mm in diam. Phyllaries in 3 or 4 rows, straw-colored with dark margin, sparsely arachnoid to subglabrous, apex acuminate; outer phyllaries ovate-elliptic, 5-7 × 1.5-2 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 7-12 × 1.5-2 mm; inner phyllaries linear, 12-15 × 1-1.5 mm. Receptacle with bristles. Corolla pale purplish red, 1.6-1.8 cm, tube 9-10 mm, limb 7-8 mm, lobes 4-5 mm. Achene cylindric, 2-3 mm, transversely rugose, glabrous. Pappus dirty white; outer bristles 2-5 mm, barbellate; inner bristles 1.2-1.4 cm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Sep.

Alpine grasslands on slopes, near rivers; [3000-]4500-5000 m. ?SC Xizang [Bhutan, India (Sikkim)].

Specimens of Saussurea nimborum in PE do not match the type material of S. nimborum at K but belong to different Saussurea species. The presence of S. nimborum in China is doubtful.