Prickly Hound's Tongue

Herbs biennial, 20-60(-70) cm tall. Stems single or several and cespitose, branched above, densely hispid, hairs discoid at base; branches slender, spreading. Basal and lower stem leaves petiolate, green to gray-green, lanceolate to obovate, 2-5 cm × 5-12 mm; middle and upper stem leaves ± sessile, green to gray-green, smaller, sparsely hispid and appressed pubescent. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, forked, to 20 cm in fruit, becoming racemelike, many flowered at anthesis, ebracteate. Pedicel ca. 5 mm in fruit, recurved. Calyx 2-2.5 mm, densely and antrorsely appressed pilose; lobes erect, ovate to oblong, ca. 2 × 0.5 mm, slightly enlarged in fruit, margin ciliate. Corolla blue or blue-purple, campanulate, base 3-4 mm wide; throat appendages trapeziform, ca. 0.7 mm, margin pubescent; limb 2.5-4.5 mm wide; lobes orbicular; veins distinctly reticulate. Anthers oblong, 0.8-1 mm. Nutlets ovoid, 3-4 × 2.5-3 mm; abaxially concave, with glochids, base of marginal glochids expanded and confluent forming a wing, apex of nutlets rounded to acute. Fl. and fr. May-Aug. 2n = 24.

Pakistan, Himalaya (Nepal to Bhutan).

Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Afghani-stan, Bhutan, India, Kashmir, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan]

3000-3800 m

Hillside meadows, forests, forest margins, slopes, roadsides; 1300-3600 m.