Rhodiola fastigiata (Hook. fil. & Thoms.) Fu

Perennial dioecious herb. Rhizome elongated, cylindrical 2-3 cm thick. Scaly radical leaves on the apical part of the rhizome. Flowering stems many on each rhizome, simple, erect, glabrous, fastigiate, old flowering stems persistent, 6-17 cm long, 0.8-2 mm wide. Cauline leaves alternate, sessile, entire, obtuse-acute, glabrous, linear-ovate or narrowly ovate, 6-12 x 1-1.5 mm. Inflorescence terminal, compact corymbose cyme, 6-15 flowered, bracteate. Bracts similar to the cauline leaves. Flowers unisexual or gyno-dioecious, yellow or red, 4-5 merous, pedicel 1-4 mm long. Calyx lobes basally connate, entire, obtuse, glabrous, triangular-ovate or narrowly ovate, 2.5-3.5 x 0.5-1.5 mm. Petals glabrous, entire, obtuse, narrowly elliptic, narrowly obovate, linear-oblanceolate, 3.5-6 x 1-1.8 mm. Stamens 8-10, slightly longer or slightly shorter than the petals, in two whorls, basifixed, epipetalous, 3-4.5 mm long, alternipetalous 4-6 mm long. Pistillodes 4-5, 1.5-4 x 0.5-1 mm in male; carpels 5-8 x 1-1.5 mm in female, styles 0.7-1.2 mm long, ovules 12-16 per locule. Nectar scales squarish, 0.6-0.8 x 0.4-0.7 mm. Follicles 6-10 x 2-4 mm. Seeds oblong-ellipsoidal, apex elongated, 1.5-2.5 x 0.3-0.4 mm.

Caudex simple or few branched, more than 50 × 1-1.5 cm; persistent old flowering stems few or absent. Caudex leaves scalelike, triangular. Flowering stems 4-10, arising from caudex apex, 8-20 cm × 1.2-2 mm, densely leafy. Stem leaves alternate, linear-oblong, linear-lanceolate, elliptic, or oblanceolate, 8-12 × 1-4 mm, margin entire but finely mammillate, apex obtuse. Inflorescences corymbiform, dense, ca. 1 × 2 cm. Flowers unisexual, male ones unequally 5-merous. Sepals linear to narrowly triangular, ca. 3 mm, apex obtuse. Petals red, oblong-lanceolate, ca. 5 × 1.3 mm, apex obtuse. Stamens 10, to 5 mm; antepetalous ones inserted ca. 1 mm from petal base. Nectar scales transversely oblong, apex emarginate. Carpels erect, lanceolate. Styles long. Follicles 7-8 mm, apex ± recurved. Fl. Jun-Aug, fr. Sep.

Himalaya (Kashmir, Nepal to Bhutan), Tibet, Yunnan.

Distribution: Pakistan, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, China (Xizang, Yunnan and Sichuan).

Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Kashmir, Nepal, Sikkim].

3600-5500 m

Fl.Per.: June – August.

Grows between 3000-4000 m on rocks, crevices and grassy slopes.

Rocky slopes; 3500-5400 m.

Sedum fastigiatum J. D. Hooker & Thomson, J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 2: 98. 1858; Chamaerhodiola fastigiata (J. D. Hooker & Thomson) Nakai; S. quadrifidum Pallas var. fastigiatum (J. D. Hooker & Thomson) Fröderström; Triplostegia pinifolia H. Léveillé.