Melandrium chungtienense (W. W. Smith) Pax & Hoffmann; Silene flavovirens C. Y. Wu.Melandrium chungtienense (W. W. Smith) Pax & Hoffmann; Silene flavovirens C. Y. Wu.

Herbs perennial, (15--)30--60 cm tall. Stems sparsely clustered or solitary, erect, simple or sparsely branched at base, pubescent. Basal leaves elliptic-lanceolate or narrowly oblanceolate, 6--10 × 0.8--3 cm, both surfaces glabrous or pubescent, base attenuate into short petiole, apex acute; cauline leaves numerous, lanceolate or narrowly oblanceolate. Inflorescence a racemiform-conical irregular thyrsoid; cymules with short to long rachis, usually 3-flowered; flowers slightly nutant. Pedicel usually shorter than calyx, rarely longer, densely villous or sparsely glandular hairy; bracts linear-lanceolate, sparsely hairy. Calyx narrowly campanulate, narrowed at base, 1--1.2 cm × 3--3.5 mm, soon becoming broader as capsule swells; veins violet or green, slightly raised, pubescent; calyx teeth triangular, ca. 3 mm, margin membranous, ciliate, apex acute or obtuse. Androgynophore 1.5--2 mm, pubescent. Petals dark red, rarely white; claws oblanceolate, 8--10 mm, hairy at base; auricles not prominent (claw at apex not or only slightly broader than limb), with erose margin; limb 3--4 mm, shallowly to deeply (to middle) bifid, with lateral triangular small teeth or small lobes; coronal scales subflabellate, ca. 1 mm. Stamens included or slightly exserted. Styles 5, included. Capsule ellipsoid, ca. 1 cm. Seeds gray, globose-reniform, ca. 1.2 mm, minutely tuberculate. Fl. Jul--Aug, fr. Aug--Sep.

In the original description, Smith incorrectly indicated 3 (rather than 5) styles.

Photographs of the type material of Silene flavovirens (described from Luquan Xian, NC Yunnan) agree well with S. chungtienensis, except for their shorter stems. The petal color is variable in natural populations of S. chungtienensis, as well as among the types of S. flavovirens, and so that character cannot be used to distinguish them. Silene flavovirens was, however, described as having a glabrous androgynophore.

* Moist rocks; 2800--3600 m. NW Yunnan.