Christolea crassifolia Cambess.

A very variable species with regards to leaves and hairiness; flowers white to mauve, often with purple bases (and perhaps never pure yellow as often men¬tioned before). Field notes given by Stainton from Chitral (cited above) and Nepal [2122 (BM)] clearly say that the flowers are white with purple bases, as is the case with other species usually.

Perennial herb, 15-40 cm long, decumbent or suberect, much branched, densely villous to almost glabrous with simple rarely forked hairs, leafy. Leaves very variable in size, shape and pubescence, ± obovate-oblong, 1-5 cm long, (3-) 5-20 (-25) mm broad, usually ± 3 (-5)-toothed towards the apex, thickish, 3-veined. Racemes 10-25-flowered, up to 8 cm long in fruit. Flowers 5-7 mm across, white with purple base or turning mauve or yellowish when dried, sometimes with lilac tinge; pedicels up to 10 mm long in fruit, ascending or erect. Sepals 3-3.5 mm long. Petals 5-6 mm long. Stamens c. 3: 3.5 mm long. Siliquae broadly linear to oblong-ovate, 10-30 mm long, 3-4 mm broad, compressed, rarely subcontorted, glabrous or hairy; valves with a distinct mid-vein; stigma depressed subsessile, sub-bilobed; septum usually complete, thinnest in the middle; seeds 5-10 in each locule, c. 2 mm long; radicle incumbent.

Herbs perennial, (8-)15-40(-50) cm tall; caudex woody, compactly branched, to 2.5 cm in diam. Stems branched, sometimes woody at base, hirsute with simple trichomes to 1.2 mm, rarely glabrous. Leaves all cauline, several to many; petiole (2-)5-12(-15) mm; leaf blade highly variable in shape, pubescence, or margin, usually obovate, spatulate, rhomboid, oblong, or elliptic, (0.8-)1.3-3.5(-5) × 0.4-1.6(-2.5) cm, leathery, densely to sparsely pubescent, rarely glabrous, base cuneate or attenuate, margin dentate or rarely incised along distal half, sometimes entire, apex acute or obtuse. Racemes several to many flowered. Fruiting pedicels 5-9(-12) mm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, ascending. Sepals oblong, 3-4 × 1.5-2 mm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent. Petals white with purplish claws, 5-6.5 × 2-3 mm; claw 2.5-3.5 mm. Filaments white, median pairs 2.5-3 mm, lateral pair 1.5-2 mm; anthers oblong, 0.9-1.2 mm. Fruit linear, oblong, or lanceolate, 1.5-3(-3.5) cm × (2-)2.7-4(-4.5) mm, subappressed to rachis, straight, flattened; valves constricted between seeds, glabrous or puberulent, base obtuse, apex acute or subacuminate; style obsolete or to 0.4 mm. Seeds brown, oblong, 1.8-2.3 × 0.9-1.5 mm, laterally oriented. Fl. Jun-Sep, fr. Jul-Oct. 2n = 14*.

C. Asia, Afghanistan, Himalaya (Kashmir to Nepal), Tibet.

Distribution: C. Asia, Himalayas, Tibet, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Qinghai, Xinjiang, Xizang [Afghanistan, Kashmir, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan].

3900-4100 m

Fl. Per.: June-July.

Alpine steppe, rocky slopes, bare slopes; 3500-4700 m.

Christolea afghanica (K. H. Rechinger) K. H. Rechinger; C. crassifolia var. pamirica (Korshinsky) Korshinsky; C. incisa O. E. Schulz; C. pamirica Korshinsky; Ermania pamirica (Korshinsky) Ovczinnikov & Junussov; Koelzia afghanica K. H. Rechinger; Parrya ramosissima Franchet.