天山乳菀 tian shan ru wan

Herbs, perennial, 25-60 cm tall, sparsely to ± densely arachnoid, glabrescent. Stems numerous, rarely solitary, ascending, often arched. Leaves usually dense, concentrated mainly on lower half of stem and often oriented to one side, sessile, lower pale green, blade linear-lanceolate, 2.5-3 × 0.25-0.3 cm, slightly fleshy, not gland-dotted, 1-veined, base cuneate, apex shortly acuminate; upper few, reduced, linear, margin often revolute. Capitula solitary or 2-4 in loose corymbiform synflorescences, 8-10 × 15-20 mm. Involucre subhemispheric, 4-5 × 8-10 mm; phyllaries 3-seriate, greenish, abaxially glabrous or glabrate, membranous, inconspicuously 3- or partly 1-veined, margin scarious, erose-fimbriate, outer lanceolate to ovate, apex acute, inner longer, oblong, apex rounded or obtuse. Ray florets 15-20, light bluish violet, lamina oblong, ca. 10 × 3-3.5 mm; disk florets 35-50, pale yellow, 6-7 mm, limb narrowly funnelform, lobes oblong-lanceolate. Achenes oblong-lanceolate, 3-4 mm, densely white strigose. Pappus brownish to pinkish, 5-6 mm. Fl. Jul-Sep.

Salt marshes, rare; ca. 1200 m. W Xinjiang (Aksu) [Kazakhstan].