40. Potentilla sino-nivea Hulten in Bot. Not. 138. 1945.
Muqarrab Shah
Department of Microbiology, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan
A small, dwarf, perennial. Rootstock a little branched, Flowering stem ascending, 6-13 cm long, floccose-tomentose, few leaved, 1-3 flowered above. Leaves nearly all basal, ternate, petioles 2-4 cm long, floccose-tomentose. Basal stipules lanceolate, acuminate, membranous, reddish brown, upper ovate-lanceolate, green. Leaflets 1.0-1.3 x 0.7-1.0 cm, 8-10, deeply and obtusely serrate-dentate, upper surface adpressed pilose, lower densely niveo-tomentose. Flowers c. 1.5 cm diam, outer sepals narrowly linear lanceolate, obtuse, inner ovate, acute, a little long. Petals 5-6 mm long and broad, obcordate, emarginate, yellow. Stamens about 20. Carpels numerous, style c. 1 mm, thin and sharp at the base.
Fl. Per.: June-August
Type: China, Tapaoshan, Smith 11270 (U). Isotype at G.
A-8 Gilgit, Gharesa glacier base camp, 13 miles E of Nagar, 15,800 ft, dry sunny slopes, lateral moraines, flowers yellow, O. Polunin 6211 (G), B-7 Kaghan Valley, Babusar, ± 13,000 ft, A.R. Beg 15 (RAW), B-8 Kashmir, Aphawat above gulmarg, 13,500 ft, R.R. Stewart 15534 (RAW), Ladakh, 16-17,000 ft, Thomson (K), Hans Hartmann 2244 (G), Baltistan, Satpura Pass above Skardu, 15,500 ft, R.R. Stewart 20214 (RAW), Burgi La Deosai, 15-16,000 ft, R.R. Stewart 20137 (RAW), Thalle La, 15-16,000 ft, R.R. Stewart 20779 (RAW).
Distribution, Kashmir, Pakistan and China.
A high alpine perennial small herb, fairly common between 4,000 and 5,500 m, generally in open sunny places on dry rocks.
Potentilla sino-nivea is closely related to the Siberian species Potentilla nivea L. in its low growth, trifoliolate leaves and densely floccose-tomentose stem, petioles and leaflets. Potentilla sino-nivea, however, differs in the styles which is thin and sharp at the base. Potentilla nivea has coniform styles, very much thickened and papillose at the base.
Dikshit & Panigrahi (Rosaceae Ind. 4: 192. 1998) recognize two varieties of Potentilla sino-nivea, the type variety which occurs in Xizang and China, and Potentilla sino-nivea var. caespitosa which is met with in Kashmir, India (Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim), Nepal, Bhutan and China. Chaoluan, Ikeda & H. Ohba (in Zhengyi & P. H. Raven, Flora of China 9: 317. 2003) have treated Potentilla sino-nivea as a synonym of Potentilla saundersiana var. caespitosa.
