天山橐吾 tian shan tuo wu

Stem erect, 20-40 cm tall, glabrous, 4-10 mm in diam. at base, with a densely reddish brown lanate circle. Basal and proximal stem leaves petiolate; petiole longer than leaf blade, 8-12 cm, glabrous, base narrowly sheathed; leaf blade orbicular-reniform, 1.8-4 × 3-4.5 cm, green, glabrous, pinnately veined, base cordate, margin irregularly sharply dentate, apex obtuse. Distal stem leaves shortly petiolate; leaf blade ovate or triangular, base auriculate-amplexicaul; distalmost leaves sessile, bracteal. Capitula 1-5, in subcorymb; leaflike bracts triangular; supplementary bracts 1-3, subulate; peduncles 1.5-8 cm, upper floccose-lanate. Involucre campanulate or hemispheric, 1-2 × 1.5-2.5 cm, outside glabrous, only base pubescent; phyllaries 12 or 13, in 2 rows, lanceolate or ovate-oblong, apex acute or acuminate; inner phyllaries broadly white membranous at margin. Ray florets 10-15, yellow; lamina oblong, ca. 20 × 5 mm, apex acute; tube 3-4 mm. Tubular florets numerous, ca. 8 mm; tube 2-3 mm. Achenes brown, cylindric, 5-6 mm, glabrous. Pappus white, as long as tubular corolla. Fl. and fr. Jun-Jul.

● Subalpine meadows; 2400-2700 m. Xinjiang.

One of us (Illarionova) treats Ligularia hamiica and L. xinjiangensis as synonymous with L. tianschanica.