Aronicum altaicum (Pallas) Candolle.

Rhizomes procumbent or sometimes ascending, stout, ca. 1 cm in diam. Stem solitary, erect, green or brown, sometimes purple tinged, 20-80 cm tall, simple, basally glabrous, apically densely glandular hairy, more densely so below capitula. Radical leaves usually withered by anthesis; petiole long, 6-19 cm; blade ovate or obovate-oblong, 5-10 × 4-5 cm, base attenuate, apex rounded or obtuse. Stem leaves 5 or 6; uppermost leaves ovate-oblong, 5-6 × 4-4.5 cm, base attenuate into ca. 2 cm broadly winged petiole; other stem leaves sessile, broadly ovate, semiamplexicaul. Median leaves 7-8 × 3-3.5 cm, upper leaves 2.5-3.5 × 0.8-2.5 cm, all glabrous, base broadly cordate, semiamplexicaul, margin undulate-denticulate, or sometimes entire, glandular ciliate, apex obtuse or slightly acute. Capitula solitary, large, 4-6 cm in diam. with ray florets. Involucre hemispheric, 2-3 cm in diam.; phyllaries equal, 1-1.3 cm; outer phyllaries oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, 1.8-2 mm wide, densely glandular hairy at base; inner phyllaries linear-lanceolate or linear, 0.5-1 mm wide, glabrous or ciliate on margins only, all phyllaries apically long acuminate. Ray florets yellow, (1.6-)2-2.5 cm, with 2-2.5 mm tube, glabrous; lamina linear-oblong, 16-22 × 2-2.5 mm, 3-veined, apically 3-denticulate. Disk florets yellow, 5-5.3 mm, with 1.5-2 mm tube and cylindric campanulate limb, 5-lobed, lobes ca. 1 mm, apically acute; anthers ca. 2 mm, basally obtuse, appendages ovate; style branches short, apically obtuse or truncate. Achenes yellow-brown or dark brown, cylindric, 2-4 mm, ribbed, glabrous or sparsely puberulent. Pappus present in all florets, white or red-brown at base, 3-4 mm. Fl. Jun-Aug. 2n = 30, 60.

Grasslands on slopes, understories of Picea forests; 2300-2500 m. Nei Mongol, Shaanxi, N Xinjiang [Mongolia, Russia (Siberia)].