Saussurea fuscipappa Y.S. Chen, 2014

1. Saussurea fuscipappa Y.S. Chen View in CoL , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 & 6A View FIGURE 6 )

Type:— CHINA. Xizang: Zayü, Tsawarong, Meili Xue Shan , Shuola pass, scree slope, 28°37’58” N, 98°35’41” E, 4400 m, 22 August 2011, Y. S GoogleMaps . Chen & Y. C . Bi 11-191 ( holotype PE; isotypes PE) .

Perennial herbs, 5–25 cm tall. Rhizome usually branched, ascending or prostrate, covered with withered remains of leaves. Stems usually several, 2–4 mm in diameter, erect, apically few-branched, straw-colored to brown, sparsely arachnoid. Leaves adaxially greyish green or green, sparsely arachnoid, minutely pubescent or glabrous, abaxially greyish white, densely arachnoid; base attenuate, margin sparsely denticulate, apex acute. Rosette, basal and lower stem leaves petiolate; petiole 1–2 cm, basally sheathed; leaf blade linear-lanceolate, 5–12 × 0.5–1.2 cm; upper cauline leaves few, smaller, sessile, linear to linear-lanceolate, 3–10 × 0.2–0.7 cm, base sessile, attenuate. Capitula 3–7, 0.8– 1.0 cm in diameter, in a clustered or lax, corymbiform synflorescence. Involucre obconic, 0.8–1.0 cm in diameter. Phyllaries in 5 rows, coriaceous, black, densely to sparsely villous especially at apex, apex usually obtuse, or acute; outer phyllaries triangular-ovate, 4–5 × 3–3.5 mm, apex acute; middle phyllaries ovate-elliptic, 5–8 × 3–3.5 mm, apex obtuse; inner phyllaries linear, 9–10 × 1.8–2 mm, apex obtuse. Receptacle flat or slightly convex, densely bristly; bristles brown, subulate, 5–8 mm. Corolla purple, 1.3–1.4 cm, glabrous, tube 7–8 mm long and ca. 0.6 mm in diameter, throat ca. 2 mm long and 1.4 mm in diameter, lobes ca. 3 × 0.5 mm. Anthers ca. 6 mm long, anther tails lanate, ca. 1 mm. Achene narrowly obconic, ca. 4 × 1 mm, glabrous, ribbed, apex with a short crown. Pappus heteromorphic, biseriate; outer bristles more numerous than the inner ones, brown, scabrid, caducous, 3–4 mm long; inner bristles apically white, brown to straw-colored, plumose, persistent, connate at base, 9–12 mm long.

Distribution and habitat: — Saussurea fuscipappa is currently known from Xiangcheng County of southwestern Sichuan, Dêqên County of northwestern Yunnan and Zayü County of southeastern Xizang ( Tibet). It grows on sandy grassy or scree slopes at altitudes of (2700–) 3800–4600 m.

Phenology: —Flowering and fruiting from August to November.

Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to the brown pappus of the new species.

Additional specimens examined ( paratypes): — CHINA. Sichuan: Xiangcheng, east side of Daxue Shan , scree slopes, 4500–4600 m, 27 July 1998, D. E . Boufford et al. 29327 ( A) ; Yunnan: Dêqên, Baima Shan , mountain slope, 3800 m, September 1935, C . W . Wang 69673 ( A, KUN, PE); Dêqên , grassy slopes, 2700 m, September 1935, C . W .

Wang 69849 (A, KUN, PE); Dêqên, stony slopes, 3800–4000 m, 21 November 1937, T . T . Yu 15645 ( KUN, PE); Dêqên, Paima Shan (= Baima Shan ), open slope, 4130 m, 26 July 1937, T . T . Yu 9196 ( KUN, PE); Xizang: Zayü, Tsawarong , Hi-ma-la, 3900 m, August 1935, C . W . Wang 66123 ( A, KUN, PE); Zayü, from Ridong to Tsawarong , grassy and sandy slopes, 4000–4400 m, 13 July 2008, DLJ-ET 1970 ( PE) .

Discussion:— Saussurea fuscipappa possibly belongs to S. subgen. Saussurea sect. Strictae Clarke (1876: 221) because of its linear-lanceolate leaf blade with denticulate margins and lanate anther tails. The species is similar to S. ochrochlaena Handel-Mazzetti (1925: 27) but differs from the latter in its usually longer stem, not forming a large clump, and the phyllaries obtuse to acute at apex. Saussurea ochrochlaena is characterized by the usually stemless and rosulate habit, a large clump, and the phyllaries acuminate at apex.

Shih & Raab-Straube (2011) recently treated S. ochrochlaena as a synonym of S. salwinensis Anthony (1934: 211) . We agree these two taxa belong to one species, but S. ochrochlaena is an older legitimate name, so S. salwinensis should be treated as a synonym of S. ochrochlaena . Saussurea ochrochlaena occurs in Dêqên, Gongshan and Weixi Counties of northwestern Yunnan and Zayü County of southeastern Xizang at altitudes of 3500–4900 m.