DAOCHENGENSIS  Zhang & Rao, 2015

Subgenus Rhodiola, section Rhodiola.

Distribution : Daocheng County and Xiangchen County, NW Sichuan, China, 3900 - 4800 m, on humid mountain ridges with bushes.

Description :

A perennial herb, dioecious, up to 50 cm high.

Roots very slender.

Caudex nearly erect, robust, usually 1 - 3 cm across, apical part often short, branched and acrescent, crowned by the scaly radical leaves which are chartaceous, persistent, triangular-ovate to very broadly triangular with entire margin, acute-obtuse at the apex, 3 - 5 mm long, 3 - 6 mm wide, brown.

Leaves alternate, loosely arranged throughout, ascending-spreading, sessile, spurless, thick herbaceous, flattish, yellowish green, oblong-lanceolate, long acuminate at apex, rounded-shallowly cordate at base, serrate along the margin, 3 - 20 mm long, 2.5 - 5 mm wide, glabrous on both surfaces, the midrib ± raised beneath.

Flowering stems 1 - 3  from apex of each caudex branch, deciduous, 25 - 50 (-60) cm long, 5 - 7 mm  in diameter, erect, simple, terete, densely glandular-pubescent.

Inflorescences terminal, very compact, umbel-like cymes, 2 - 7 cm long, 2 - 4.5 cm wide, inconspicuously bracteate (male) and scarcely bracteate (female), bracts leaf-like, linear to linear-subulate, round (-acute) at apex, less than 10 - 31 mm long and 2.5 - 5 mm wide.

Flowers 5 (-6)- merous.

Rhodiola daochengensis is related to R. kirilowii and R. serrata.