Cochlearia altaica (C. A. Meyer) J. D. Hooker & T. Anderson; Taphrospermum altaicum var. macrocarpum Z. X. An.

Herbs (4-)10-23(-30) cm tall, with narrowly fusiform roots, glabrous except for fruit. Stems prostrate, ascending, or erect, few to many from base. Leaves not rosulate, somewhat fleshy; petioles of basal and lowermost cauline leaves 1-4(-9) cm; leaf blade suborbicular, subcordate, ovate, or oblong, (0.5-)1-2.5 × (0.4-)0.7-2 cm, gradually smaller upward, base obtuse or subcordate, margin entire or rarely repand, apex obtuse or rounded. Racemes densely flowered, elongated in fruit, bracteate throughout; bracts leafy. Fruiting pedicels glabrous, slender, strongly recurved or nearly forming a loop, (3-)5-8(-12) mm. Sepals oblong, 0.8-1.5(-2) × 0.5-0.8(-1) mm, persistent or caducous, membranous at margin. Petals white, obovate, (1.5-)2-2.5(-3) × (0.5-)0.8-1.5 mm, apex rounded or slightly emarginate, clawlike base to 0.5 mm. Filaments 0.8-1.2 mm, median pairs dilated, to 0.3 mm wide at base; anthers ovate, 0.2-0.3 mm. Ovules 6-10(-12) per ovary. Fruit narrowly conical, strongly torulose, angustiseptate at least basally, (4-)7-10(-12) mm, base cordate or truncate and (1.8-)2-2.5(-3) mm wide, apex acuminate; valves membranous, sparsely puberulent with papillae to 0.3 mm, rarely subglabrous, distinctly veined; replum widely expanded at base, narrowly flattened elsewhere; septum complete or rarely perforate and reduced to a rim, membranous; style slender, (0.5-)0.7-1.2(-1.5) mm. Seeds brown, oblong, plump, 1.4-1.8 × 0.8-1.2 mm; cotyledons incumbent or oblique. Fl. Jun-Aug, fr. Jul-Sep.

Mountain meadows, forest margins, gravelly ridges, open slopes, roadsides; 2000-4000 m. Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Xizang [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan].