16. Himalaiella Raab-Straube, Willdenowia. 33: 390. 2003.
须弥菊属 xu mi ju shu
Authors: Zhu Shi & Eckhard von Raab-Straube
Saussurea sect. Elatae J. D. Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 3: 373. 1881.
Herbs, biennial or perennial, tall or rarely stemless. Stems usually densely leafy or rarely scapiform. Basal leaves often lyrately pinnately lobed to pinnately divided. Capitulum solitary and terminal on stem or in a racemiform, paniculiform, or corymbiform synflorescence, often nodding or sometimes erect, sessile or pedunculate. Involucre hemispheric to campanulate. Phyllaries sometimes reflexed. Receptacle densely covered with subulate alveolate bristles and rarely also with subulate paleae. Corolla reddish purple, purple, pink, or white, gland-dotted. Anther tails moderately lacerate. Achene blackish, 2-5.5 mm, 4- or 5-angled, glabrous, wrinkled, squamulate, or muricate, apical rim forming a conspicuous crown. Pappus homomorphic, in 1 row; bristles snow white, dirty white, or brownish, plumose, basally connate into a ring, caducous as a whole.
Thirteen species: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, N India, Kashmir, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, N Thailand, N Vietnam; SW Asia (Iran); seven species (one endemic) in China.
In C. Shih and S. Y. Jin (FRPS 78(2): 57-66. 1999), most species of Himalaiella are included in Saussurea subg. Frolovia (Candolle) Lipschitz. They are, however, more closely related to Jurinea than to Saussurea.
