Saussurea obvallata (DC.) Edgew.

Family Description

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, sometimes shrubs, rarely trees, tissues sometimes containing milky sap, glabrous, pubescent, tomentose, spinous or variously sessile- or stipitate-glandular. Leaves alternate or sometimes opposite, exstipulate (but sometimes with stipuliform appendages), entire, toothed, lobed or variously dissected. Individual flowers usually numerous, aggregated and ± sessile (briefly immersed to very shortly stipitate) on a common receptacle and surrunded by an involucre of 1-many series of phyllaries (involucral bracts),the whole comprising a capitulum; phyllaries free, rarely connate; capitula solitary to very many, rarely agreegrated into secondary capitulum-like glomerules.Receptable sometimes bearing paleae (scales), hairs or bristles.Flowers (florets)epigynous, bisexual, female, m ale(at least functionally so) or neuter (sterile). Calyx absent, often replaced on apex of ovary by a pappus of 1 or more series of bristles and / orscales. Corolla gamopetalous, tabular throughout or dilated or 1(-2)-lipped above,variously truncate or 1-5-toothed at apex (appices); rarely corolla absent. Stamens (1-)5, epipetalous, filaments free anthers laterally connate into a cylinder around style (free in one species). Ovary inferior, 1-celled with one basal ovule; style usually divided above into two branches, sometimes entire on male flowers, emerging through anther cylinder, first collecting and exposing pollen,later exposing stigmatic surfaces if bisexual. Fruit an achene (cypsela) usually bearing a persistent or deciduous pappus; pappus sessile or borne on a beak(rostrum).

Genus Description

Acaulescent to medium-sized perennial herbs,rarely monocarpic. Leaves alternate,simple,entire to pinnate or bipinnatifid, without prickles. Capitula 1-many, discoid, sometimes enveloped in long wool or surrounded by leaf-like, coloured bracts. Involucre campanulate to ovoid; phyllaries several-seriate, imbricate. Receptacle flat or convex,usually densely setose, rarely naked or bearing separate linear paleae overtopping corollas. Flowers bisexual. Corollas purplish or violet (rarely white),narrowly tubular-campanulate, limb deeply 5-lobed. Anther bases caudate, lacerate or woolly; filaments glabrous. Style branches filiform,obtuse. Achenes oblong or obovoid,quadrangular or ribbed,smooth or rugose,sometimes coronulate at apex. Inner pappus bristles plumose,connate at base; outer pappus often present,of plumose persistent bristles usually a little shorter than inner bristles or of scabrid bristles usually caducous, much shorter and often fewer than inner bristles,rarely with few plumose hairs as well.

Species description

Rhizomatous,30-70cm;stems erect,pubescent at base above,surrounded at base by dead leaves.Lower leaves oblanceolate,15-30 x 2-5cm,±acute,long-tapering to broad semi-amplexicaul petiole, dentate, puberulous (to sparsely tomentose); uppermost leaves membraneous,8-15 x 3-13cm,concave,loosely surrounding inflorescence,whitish or pale green. Capitula 4-11 in compact corymbs.Involucre 8-15mm diameter;phyllaries mostly lanceolate,purplish-black, 10-20 x 2-4mm,acuminate,sparsely pubescent.Corollas 13-17mm,including lobes 4-5.5mm.Achenes oblong,5-6mm;pappus double,inner 11-14mm,outer scadrid,3-5mm.