Ladakh, August 2022 :: Saussurea glacialis :: ARK2022-175

[Alka Khare]

Hello friends

This was at the Chang la (the top) next to Chang la baba mandir, Ladakh in August 2022.

Saussurea glacialis

Requested to please validate.

Thanks and regards

Alka Khare

[Saroj Kasaju]

Yes Alka Ji ! https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/indiantreepix/VjtKOxNET-8

Thank you.

Saroj Kasaju

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "eFloraofIndia" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to indiantreepi...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/indiantreepix/1a7c966e-fc0b-4a01-ae27-3a0b2389a4b5n%40googlegroups.com.

[J.M. Garg]

Three species given in bold below (from keys in Flora of China) are quite confusing. Pl. check (all can be seen at Saussurea): 

18 (12)	Pappus dull dark brown, mouse-gray, or blackish		(19)
+	Pappus white, dirty white, straw-colored, light brown, or brown		(21)
19 (18)	Plants not caespitose; caudex long, creeping, fragile, branched below ground level; leaf blade elliptic to narrowly elliptic, pinnately lobed to pinnately divided, 5-15 mm wide.		16 S. quercifolia
+	Plants usually caespitose; caudex short, branched at ground level; leaf blade obovate, spatulate, or linear-oblong, undivided, 2-8 mm wide		(20)
20 (19)	Rosette and lower stem leaves green, glabrescent; petioles green, elongated; leaf margin obtusely sinuate-dentate; outer pappus bristles always reflexed and appressed on achene.		13 S. inversa
+	Rosette and lower stem leaves whitish, densely tomentose; petioles purple, short; leaf margin entire or shallowly crenate; outer pappus bristles usually erect.		14 S. gnaphalodes
21 (18)	Plants shortly stemmed, less than 10 cm tall		(22)
+	Plants with a distinct elongate erect flowering stem, usually more than 10 cm tall		(24)
22 (21)	Leaf blade very small, less than 1 cm.		15 S. sugongii
+	Leaf blade larger, more than 1 cm		(23)
23 (22)	Upper stem leaves elliptic, not reflexed, apex obtuse to rounded.		12 S. glacialis
+	Upper stem leaves linear, reflexed, apex acuminate.		19 S. gyacaensis

--

With regards,
J.M.Garg

[J.M. Garg]

Going by the keys, can it be Saussurea gnaphalodes (Royle) Sch.Bip. ?

--

With regards,
J.M.Garg

[Alka Khare]

Thanks Garg ji.

Regards

Alka Khare

[J.M. Garg]

Any critical feedback?

--

With regards,
J.M.Garg

[J.M. Garg]

Let me further analyse the descriptions from Flora of China: 

	Saussurea gnaphalodes (Royle ex Candolle) Schultz Bipontinus	Saussurea glacialis Herder
	Herbs 1.5-6(-10) cm tall, perennial, polycarpic, caespitose. Caudex branched at ground level, usually with many leaf rosettes and flowering shoots. Stem solitary, 1-3 mm in diam., erect, simple. Rosette and stem leaves shortly petiolate; petiole purple; leaf blade obovate, spatulate, or linear-oblong, 5-20 × 2-8 mm, abaxially whitish with dark midvein and arachnoid tomentose, adaxially white or brownish arachnoid lanate, base cuneate-attenuate, margin entire, crenate, or obtusely dentate, apex obtuse to rounded. Capitula 5-20, in a hemispheric synflorescence 2-4 cm in diam., sessile. Involucre cylindric, (3-)5-8 mm in diam. Phyllaries in 3 or 4 rows, membranous, straw-colored to light brown, apically dark brown strigose, apex obtuse to acuminate; outer phyllaries ovate-oblong, 7-8 × 2-3.5 mm; middle and inner phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic to linear, 6-9 × 1-2 mm. Receptacle bristles 0.5-1.5 mm. Corolla rose-purple, 8-9 mm, tube 4-5 mm, limb 4-4.5 mm, lobes 2-2.5 mm. Achene brown to dirty white with dark spots, cylindric to obconic, 3-4 mm, smooth, glabrous or gland-dotted. Pappus mouse-gray to blackish; outer bristles 2-4 mm, sometimes reflexed; inner bristles 8-9 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep. 2n = 48*. Alpine scree slopes; 2700-5800 m. Gansu, Qinghai, W Sichuan, S and W Xinjiang, Xizang [NE Afghanistan, NW India, Kashmir, E Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, W Nepal, N Pakistan, Tajikistan].	Herbs 2-6(-10) cm tall, perennial, polycarpic, shortly stemmed. Caudex slender, branched, with several leaf rosettes and flowering stems, covered with remains of petioles. Stem solitary, 1-3 mm in diam., erect, simple. Rosette and stem leaves shortly petiolate; leaf blade narrowly elliptic to obovate, 1.5-4 × 0.4-1 cm, abaxially white lanate, adaxially yellowish or white lanate, base cuneate-attenuate, margin crenate or entire, apex obtuse. Capitula 3-15, in a hemispheric synflorescence 1.5-4 cm in diam., sessile. Involucre cylindric to narrowly campanulate, (5-)7-10 mm in diam. Phyllaries in 3 or 4 rows, scarious, apically purple or blackish, apex acute to acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 9-13 × 2.5-3 mm, apically lanate; middle phyllaries narrowly oblong, 8-13 × 1.5-2.5 mm; inner phyllaries narrowly elliptic to linear, 9-13 × 1-1.5 mm, glabrous. Receptacle bristles white, 0.5-2.5 mm. Corolla purple, 9-10 mm, tube 3-4 mm, limb 6-6.5 mm, lobes 2-2.5 mm. Achene cylindric to obconic, 3-4 mm, glabrous. Pappus in 2 rows; outer bristles dirty white, 2-5 mm, scabrid to plumose, sometimes lacking; inner bristles basally brown, apically dirty white, 8-11 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Aug. Alpine scree slopes; 3800-5200 m. Qinghai, Xinjiang, Xizang [E Afghanistan, NW India, Kashmir, E Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, N Pakistan, Russia (Siberia), Tajikistan].

Both appear to be rather close. 

Keeping it at Saussurea glacialis, for the time being. though not convinced. 

--

With regards,
J.M.Garg

[Alka Khare]

Yes, Gargji, let us keep it at that.

Regards

Alka Khare