HETERODONTA (Hooker f. & Thomson) Borissova, 1939

Synonyms :

Sedum heterodontum  Hooker f. & Thomson (1858) / Sedum rosea var. heterodontum (Hooker f. & Thomson) Fröderström (1930)

Section Rhodiola

Distribution : Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tadzhikistan, Kashmir, India (Kumaon), Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China (Xinjiang); slopes, sides of ravines, 2800 - 4700 m.

Description (according to H. Ohba in IHSP, 2003) :

Dioecious, to 40 cm tall.

Rhizomes subcylindrical or narrowly ovoid, 2 - 3 cm in diameter, sparsely branched, erect to suberect.

Flowering stems robust, pale green, somewhat glaucous, glabrous, 10 – 25 cm taIl, 4 - 7 mm in diameter, elongating after flowering to 25 - 40 cm, then 6 - 10 mm in diameter.

Leaves ± weIl spaced, sessile, triangular-, pentagonal- or broadly pentagonal-ovate, 12 - 25 x 10 - 15 mm, tip acute or obtuse, base shaIlowly cordate to ± auriculate or rarely truncate, margin coarsely 2- to 6-toothed or repand to nearly entire, pale green, somewhat glaucous beneath.

Inflorescences very dense, compact, capitate, 80- to 120-flowered, mostly ebracteate, 1 - 2 x 2.5 - 3 cm in diameter.

FIowers almost sessile, calyx 3 - 4.5 mm, glabrous, sepals linear, 2.5 - 4 mm, suberect,petals very narrowly rhombic-eIliptic to oblong (male) or linear (female), 3.5 - 4.5 mm (male) or 1.8 - 2.3 mm (female), yeIlowish or greenish-white, erect (male) or ascending (female), stamens distinctly longer than the petals anthers dull purplish red.

Flowering time : June to August.

Fu & Ohba (2001: 262) indicate that this taxon does also occur in Iran.