Anabasis tianschanica Botschantzev.

Herbs perennial, 5-15 cm tall. Root stout, to 3 cm in diam. Caudex brown to dark brown, densely tomentose; annual branches numerous, borne on caudex, erect, simple, yellow-green, usually with 5-8 internodes; internodes subterete, 2-3 mm in diam., smooth, sometimes with leaf scars. Leaves scale-like, terete, 1-2 mm, margin membranous, apex obtuse, awnless. Flowers solitary in leaf axils; bractlets ovate-oblong, apex slightly obtuse. Outer 3 perianth segments broadly elliptic, usually only these segments winged in fruit; inner 2 segments narrower; wing pink, reniform or suborbicular, membranous. Disk lobes linear, apex pectinate. Ovary smooth; stigmas usually recurved. Utricle dark red or orange-yellow, 2-2.5 mm. Fl. and fr. Aug-Oct.

The general distribution of this species needs clarification, as well as its occurrence in China. Grubov (Rast. Tsentral. Azii 2: 107. 1966) considered C Asian records to belong to A. truncata.

Gobi desert, saline-alkaline deserts, arid slopes. N Xinjiang [Russia (SE European part, W Siberia); C Asia].