Pegaeophyton scapiflorum (Hook.f. & Thomson) C. Marquand & Airy Shaw

Pegaeophyton species are small perennial herbs, glabrous or pubescent with simple trichomes. Rootstocks slender, taproot. Caudex simple or branched, Stem short, adding tiny portions at the apex of caudex or branches every year. Basal leaves simple, rosulate or not, linear lanceolate, obovate to spathulate, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire or toothed, apex acute to obtuse, fleshy, petiolate, cauline leaves usually absent. Inflorescence racemes, solitary flowered, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, white, yellow, purple, pink, pedicel erect, arising from axils or rosette leaves, ascending, reflexed, sepals 4, ovate-oblong, inner lateral pair base not saccate, apex obtuse, glabrous or pubescent, petals 4, obovate-oblong to spathulate, about twice as long sepals, margins entire, apex obtuse or subemarginate, claw distinct. Stamens 6, subequal, filaments dilated near the base, anthers ovate-oblong, apex obtuse, nectar glands confluent at the base of stamens. Ovary superior, bicarpellary, ovules 2-12. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, ellipsoid, ovoid, globose to suborbicular, sessile or stipitate, terete, angustiseptate or latiseptate, valves chartaceous or membranous, replum flattened, septum absent, style obsolete or short, stigma discoid, entire. Seeds uniseriate or biseriate, brown, plump or compressed, suborbicular, ovate-ovoid, not winged, minutely obscurely reticulate, not mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons accumbent.

Pegaeophyton species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: May—August.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Small perennial herbs, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with simple trichomes above, about 4-12 cm tall. Rootstocks taproot. Caudex stout, woody branched or unbranched, about 10-12 mm thick, Stem short, woody, adding small portions at the apex of caudex or branches every year. Leaves simple, in rosulate, linear oblanceolate-obovate to elliptic, about 2-8 x 0.3-1.5 cm across, base cuneate to sub attenuate, margin entire to slightly dentate, apex obtuse to acute, subfleshy or not, glabrous above and sparsely pubescent beneath, petiole flattened long, about 1-8 cm long, cauline leaves absent. Inflorescence racemes, with solitary flowers, not elongated in fruit, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, white, pink, blue, pedicel erect, arising from axils or rosette leaves, ascending, stout, slender, not persistent, glabrous or sparsely pubescent near apex all round with trichomes of about 0.3-0.5 mm long, sepals 4, ovate-oblong, free, inner lateral pair base not saccate, apex obtuse, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with short trichomes, about 2.5-6 x 1.5-3.5 mm across, petals 4, broadly obovate-suborbicular to spathulate, margins entire, apex subemarginate, about 5-10 x 2-8 mm across, clawlike base about 1-3 mm long. Stamens 6, subequal, filaments dilated near the base, persistent, about 3-5 mm long, anthers linear-oblong, base slightly sagittate, apex obtuse, about 1.5 mm long, nectar glands confluent at the base of stamens. Ovary superior, bicarpellary, ovules 4-10. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, ellipsoid oblong to ovate-orbicular, about 5-15 x 4-8 mm across, latiseptate, not geocarpic, valves chartaceous or membranous, replum flattened, septum absent, glabrous, style about 0.5-0.7 mm long, stigma entire. Seeds few, brown, suborbicular, ovate-ovoid, about 1.5-2 x 1-1.5 mm across, slightly compressed, not winged, minutely obscurely reticulate, not mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons accumbent.

Pegaeophyton species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus, mildews and moulds.

On moist grassy slopes, alpine meadows, along streamside’s and moist rocky places of alpine Himalayas, altitude 3900-4900m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).