Thesium

Herbs perennial. Stems erect or ascending, slender, 20-25 cm, furrowed and finely striate. Leaves abaxially pale green, adaxially green, subsessile, lanceolate, usually slightly falcate, 30-38 × ca. 4 mm, rather thick, 3-veined, base decurrent to form short petiole, margin entire, apex acute. Inflorescences racemelike, often branched, with 1 flower per axil, 5-6 cm; bracts inserted at top of pedicels, oblong or narrowly boat-shaped, 7-10(-12) × 1-2 mm, 1-veined, margin thickened; pedicel slender, reflexed when mature, 5-13 mm; bracteoles 2, subulate, 3-4 mm, 1-veined, margin sparsely or inconspicuously serrulate, incurved when mature. Perianth 5-merous, white or greenish white, campanulate, 4-5 mm in diam., tube 1.5-2 × ca. 2 mm, lobes triangular, ca. 2 × 1.2 mm, apex incurved. Stamens 5; anthers yellow. Ovary stalk ca. 1 mm. Style yellowish, ca. 1.5 mm; stigma yellow, capitate, slightly exserted when lobes incurved, usually not exserted. Nutlet ovoid or subglobose, ca. 3.5 × 2-2.2 mm, with conspicuous longitudinal veins; persistent perianth ca. 3 mm.

Xinjiang [C Asia, C Europe].

Shady grasslands; 1600-2300 m.