Saussurea

Saussurea gossypiphora, copyright Prateek.

Belongs within: Asteraceae.

Saussurea is a Holarctic genus of composite-flowered herbs found in cooler habitats.

Characters (from Hickman 1993): Perennial. Leaves basal and cauline, alternate. Inflorescence with heads discoid, 1–many; involucre ovoid to more or less obconic; phyllaries many, in several series, unequal, acute; receptacle flat or rounded, naked to bristly. Florets few to many; corollas blue to purple, tube slender, throat abruptly wider, lobes linear; anther bases short-tailed, tips linear, acute; style branches oblong, short-papillate, tips minutely hairy. Fruit oblong, more or less angled, attached at base; pappus of one or two series, outer of short bristles or scales, inner of generally longer plumose bristles fused at base.

<==Saussurea
    |--S. abnormis O88
    |--S. americana H93
    |--S. candolleana O88
    |--S. chrysotricha O88
    |--S. dhwojii O88
    |--S. gnaphalodes O88
    |--S. gossypiphora O88
    |--S. graminifolia O88
    |--S. heteromalla O88
    |--S. hieracioides O88
    |--S. hookeri O88
    |--S. kanzanensis CP02
    |--S. laminamaensis O88
    |--S. leontodontoides O88
    |    |--S. l. var. leontodontoides O88
    |    `--S. l. var. filicifolia O88
    |--S. linearifolia O88
    |--S. namikawae O88
    |--S. nepalensis O88
    |--S. nishiokae O88
    |--S. obvallata O88
    |--S. pachyneura O88
    |--S. platyphyllaria O88
    |--S. polystichoides O88
    |--S. roylei O88
    |--S. simpsoniana O88
    |--S. spicata O88
    |--S. sughoo O88
    |--S. taraxacifolia O88
    |--S. tridactyla O88
    |--S. uniflora O88
    |--S. wernerioides O88
    `--S. yakla O88

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CP02] Chung, S.-W., & C.-I. Peng. 2002. Senecio kuanshanensis (Asteraceae), a new species from southern Taiwan. Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica 43: 155–159.

[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).

[O88] Ohba, H. 1988. The alpine flora of the Nepal Himalayas: an introductory note. In: (H. Ohba, H., & S. B. Malla (eds) The Himalayan Plants vol. 1. The University Museum, University of Tokyo, Bulletin 31: 19–46.