大花毛鳞菊 da hua mao lin ju

Basionym: Lactuca atropurpurea Franchet, J. Bot. (Morot) 9: 260. Jul 1895; Chaetoseris dolichophylla C. Shih; C. grandiflora C. Shih, nom. illeg. superfl.; Cicerbita grandiflora Beauverd, nom. illeg. superfl.; L. grandiflora Franchet, nom. illeg. superfl.; L. pseudosonchus H. Léveillé.

Herbs 50-100 cm tall, perennial. Root turniplike. Stems solitary or few, erect, apically branched and glandular hairy. Basal leaves elliptic and basally attenuate into a long narrow petiole-like portion, 20-30 × 10-15 cm, pinnatipartite to pinnatisect and often lyrately so, margin dentate; lateral lobes 3-5 pairs, elliptic to rhombic, gradually smaller toward leaf base, apex obtuse to acute; terminal lobe triangular, ± irregularly rhombic, elliptic, or lanceolate, much larger than lateral lobes, base hastate to rounded, apex acute to obtuse. Lower and middle stem leaves shortly petiolate to sessile and clasping, similar to basal leaves but smaller; lateral lobes 3-7 pairs. Upper stem leaves sessile, less divided and smaller. Synflorescence racemiform or paniculiform, with few to several capitula. Capitula nodding before anthesis, with usually 25-35 florets; peduncle (1-)2-6(-10) cm. Involucre dark purplish green, broadly campanulate, 1.7-2.1 × 1-1.5 cm. Phyllaries glabrous or rarely glandular hispid, apex acute; outer phyllaries triangular-ovate to lanceolate. Florets blue to bluish purple. Achene 6-7 mm; body dark brown, ellipsoid, compressed, lateral ribs broadened, apex tapering into a pale 1-2 mm thick beak. Pappus double, outer hairs 0.2-0.3 mm, bristles ca. 8 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Nov. 2n = 16*.

Forests, forest margins, thickets, alpine meadows; 2800-4000 m. Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Myanmar].

Franchet published the name "Lactuca atropurpurea" twice in 1895, in July (J. Bot. (Morot) 9: 260) and in August (J. Bot. (Morot) 9: 294), the latter name for a species of Dubyaea and illegitimate as a later homonym but under to Art. 58.1 of the Vienna Code the epithet is available for use in the new name D. atropurpurea Stebbins. In October 1895 (J. Bot. (Morot) 9: 368), Franchet unfortunately renamed the legitimate earlier homonym to L. grandiflora, which is thus illegitimate, as are the combinations in Chaetoseris and Cicerbita based on it. Chaetoseris dolichophylla seems not actually distinct from Melanoseris atropurpurea and is here tentatively included in this species.