苞鳞蟹甲草 bao lin xie jia cao

Senecio phyllolepis Franchet, J. Bot. (Morot) 8: 360. 1894; Cacalia hupehensis Handel-Mazzetti; C. phyllolepis (Franchet) Handel-Mazzetti; Koyamacalia hupehensis (Handel-Mazzetti) H. Robinson & Brettell; K. phyllolepis (Franchet) H. Robinson & Brettell.

Rhizomes robust, with fascicled fibrous roots. Stem solitary, erect, 60-90 cm tall, simple, striate or sulcate, arachnoid, long naked below, often purple tinged. Leaves ca. 5, usually crowded at middle part, long petiolate; petiole 8-12 cm, obscurely narrowly winged or nearly not winged; blade abaxially pale green, adaxially dark green, broadly ovate, ovate-triangular, or ovate-cordate, 10-16 × 8-10 cm, thinly papery, abaxially sparsely arachnoid, later glabrescent, adaxially sparsely brown hispidulous, veins prominent on both surfaces, basally 3-veined, lateral veins furcately branched, base cordate or cuneate, rarely truncate, margin unequally serrulate, teeth mucronulate, apex caudate-acuminate. Upper leaves smaller, ovate, shortly petiolate. Uppermost leaves bracteal, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate. Capitula numerous, terminal or in upper leaf axils, arranged in racemes or narrow racemose panicles; peduncles 6-10 mm, erect or pendulous, shortly hairy, with 2 or 3 unequal bractlets. Involucres cylindric or narrowly campanulate, 8-10 × 3-4 mm; phyllaries 5(or 6), green, oblong-lanceolate, 8-10 × 1.5-2 mm, herbaceous, sparsely shortly hairy or subglabrous, margin scarious, apically obtuse or slightly acute, puberulent. Florets 5 or 6; corolla yellow, 8-9 mm, with slender 3-4 mm tube and narrowly campanulate limb; lobes lanceolate. Anthers exserted from corolla, basally caudate. Style branches excurved or involute, truncate, papillose. Achenes yellow-brown, cylindric, 5-6 mm, glabrous, ribbed. Pappus white, 7-8 mm. Fl. and fr. Sep-Oct.

● Understories of forests on slopes, by canals; 1000-2500 m. Chongqing, W Hubei, E Sichuan.