Leontice eversmannii Illustration Credit: Azmat

Perennial glabrous herbs with deeply rooted tuberous rhizomes and leafy stem. Leaves alternate to subopposite, usually 2(-3)-ternately dissected, fleshy, long-petioled and petioluled. Inflorescence terminal racemes, often branched below, or the upper leaves with axillary racemes. Flowers hermaphrodite, regular. Sepals 6 (-9), yellowish, outer smaller. Petals 6, much smaller than sepals, yellowish, scale-like, convolute. Stamens 6; anthers about as long as the filaments, opening by 2 apical valves. Ovary 1-carpellary, 1-locular, with 2-4, erect, basal ovules; style short with hardly distinct, obtuse and short stigma. Capsule inflated, vesicle-like, scarious or membranous, 1-4-seeded, indehiscent but gaping or eroding above to expose the seeds; seeds globose, without aril, blackish.

A small genus of about 9 species in S.E. Europe to E. Asia: only 1 species found in W. Pakistan.

Lower Taxon

• Leontice eversmannii Bunge

Related Synonym(s):

• Leontice leontopetalum auct. non Linn. = Leontice eversmannii Bunge
• Leontice leontopetalum subsp. eversmannii (Bunge) Coode = Leontice eversmannii Bunge