Saussurea andryaloides ( DC.) Sch.Bip., Linnaea

Saussurea andryaloides ( DC.) Sch.Bip., Linnaea View in CoL 19: 331. 1846. Aplotaxis andryaloides DC., Prodr. 6: 542. 1838. Lectotype (designated by Lipschitz 1979): NW INDIA, s.loc., s.d., J.F. Royle s.n. ( G00204471 image!).

Saussurea andryaloides (DC.) Hook.f. & Thomson ex C.B. Clarke, Compos. Ind. 227. 1876, nom. illeg. Figs. 1 View Fig & 2 View Fig 2

Perennial, acaulescent herbs, up to 3 cm tall. Caudex simple, covered with scars of old leaves. Leaves in rosette, shortly-petioled; lamina linear, runcinate, lobes recurved with spiny apex, adaxially green, pubescent, abaxially densely tomentose. Capitula solitary in rosette of leaves, 1.5−2.0 cm in diam., 2−2.5 cm tall. Phyllaries tri-seriate, purplish-red, tomentose, outer ones acuminate at apex, middle ones ovate, acuminate at apex, inner ones lanceolate, acute at apex. Pappus c. 1 cm long, uni- or bi-seriate, pale brown, connate at base into a ring, caducous as a whole. Florets numerous, corolla 1.3 cm long, tube c. 7 mm long, limb (including lobes) c. 5 mm long, purplish-red, glabrous. Anthers c. 7.5 mm long, tails woolly, fimbriate. Achene 3.5 mm long, cylindrical, brownish, glabrous, distinctly ribbed, with a short crown at apex.

Flowering & fruiting: August–October.

Ecology & habitat: Grows in alpine Himalaya, at an elevation ranging from 3200 to 5400 m. The species was found to be sparsely distributed and only few individuals were recorded.

Distribution: China, India (Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Uttarakhand) and Pakistan. In all relevant literature, the species was reported only from northwest Himalaya in India. However, during the present investigation it was found that it has also been collected from Sikkim by Hooker (P00258217), which forms a new addition to the Flora of Sikkim.

Specimens examined: INDIA, Uttarakhand, Rudraprayag district, Tungnath , 3421 m, 30°29’24.83”N, 79°13’1.89”E, 03.10.2017, S GoogleMaps . Kasana 1716, 1717 ( DUH); Tungnath , 3425 m, 30°29’25.87”N, 79°13’3.71”E, 03.10.2017, S GoogleMaps . Kasana 1731 ( DUH) .

Conservation status: Saussurea andryaloides is widely distributed in China but is reported to be Rare in India and Pakistan (Butola & Samant, 2011). The narrow blooming period and small size of the plant might be the reason why botanists have overlooked or misidentified the species.

Note: Detailed study of live and herbarium specimens showed that degree of hairiness on leaves varies considerably. Plants with wooly and pubescent to tomentose leaves are observed.