Rhodiola

HUMILIS (Hooker f. & Thomson) S.H.Fu, 1965

Synonyms :

Sedum humile  Hooker f. & Thomson (1858) / Chamaerhodiola humilis  (Hooker f. & Thomson)

Nakai (1934)

Sedum levii  Hamet (1909)

Sedum karpelesae  Hamet (1911) / Rhodiola karpelesae  (Hamet) S.H.Fu (1965)

Sedum barnesianum  Praeger (1921)

Section Primuloides

Distribution : Nepal, Sikkim, Tibet, China (Qinghai); alpine meadows, 3900 - 4500 m.

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

Hermaphrodite, usually 2 - 3 cm tall. 

Rhizomes thick, cylindrical, 1.5 - 2 cm long, 0.5 – 1.5 cm in diameter.

Radical leaves 10 - 20, erect, long-petiolate, petiole 8 - 18 x 0.4 - 1 mm, ± broadening towards the

base, lamina linear-elliptic to narrowly rhombic-lanceolate or narrowly oblanceolate, 3 - 8 x 1.2 – 2.3 mm, glabrous, tip round or obtuse, margin entire, dead petioles of leaves of previous years degenerated into scaly appendages, long persistent, densely tufted, becoming rigid, blackish or chestnut-brown.

Flowering stems 3 - 5, annual, erect, glabrous, ± 0.9 mm in diameter.

Leaves densely arranged, widely spreading, sessile, linear-ovate or linear-elliptic, 4.5 - 9.5 x 0.9 -

mm, tip round, base attenuate, entire, glabrous.

FIowers usually 8 - 11 mm in diameter, usually solitary but rarely forrning small 2- to 4-flowered corymbs, pedicels1.2 – 2 mm, calyx 3.2 - 5 mm, glabrous, tube 0.6 - 1.5 mm, sepals ovate, 2.6 - 3.5 mm, ascending, petals oblong-ovate or ovate with a round tip, 5 - 6.5 mm, mostly white, ascending, stamens shorter than the petals, nearly erect, anthers reddish.

Flowering time : August - September.

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