戈壁短舌菊 ge bi duan she ju

Subshrubs, (15-)40-80 cm tall; indumentum "glandular pubescent." Stems few from base, much branched, woody for most of length, bark yellowish white, branching slightly divaricate, sometimes ± spine-tipped, glabrescent. Petiole rather long; leaf blade spatulate to cuneate, 1-2 cm including petiole, pinnatifid, segments 1-3 each side, narrowly triangular, puberulent or subglabrous, with sunken glands; condensed lateral shoots with linear leaves sometimes present; uppermost leaves linear, entire. Capitula solitary or few in ill-defined cyme, on long slender peduncles. Involucre narrowly campanulate, 8-10 × 4-6 mm; phyllaries convex, abaxially ± densely puberulent and prominently gland-dotted, margin white scarious, apex rounded, outer ones obovate, inner ones lanceolate. Ray florets absent. Disk florets tubular, bisexual, corolla with lower part greenish, sparsely pilose and glandular, upper part yellow. Achenes ca. 2 mm, 3-ribbed.

Nei Mongol [Mongolia].

Brachanthemum gobicum is used for livestock fodder and medicinally in Mongolia where it has been listed as "very rare" under Mongolian Law on Natural Plants (Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan; http://www.cbd.int/doc/world/mn/mn-nbsap-01-p6-en.pdf; accessed 23 Nov 2010). The material from Nei Mongol seems to be significantly larger than the 15-20 cm tall plant described in the protologue; it also appears to have more divaricate, apparently somewhat spinescent, branching. The homogamous capitula suggest that the generic placement of this species deserves closer examination.