Lasiocaryum densiflorum (Duthie) I. M. Johnst. (1940: 51)

Chacón, Juliana, Siwakoti, Mohan, Hilger, Hartmut H. & Weigend, Maximilian, 2017, Dwarves on the roof of the world: A taxonomic revision of the Himalayan Lasiocaryeae Weigend (Boraginaceae), Phytotaxa 297 (1), pp. 1-14 : 11-12

2. Lasiocaryum densiflorum (Duthie) I. M. Johnst. (1940: 51)

Basionym:— Eritrichium densiflorum Duthie (1912: 39) . Lectotype (designated by Kazmi 1970: 395)— Tibet: Phembu La, 10–15 miles north of Lhasa, H. J. Walton 1547 (K, A!); Syntypes:— Eastern Tibet: Yan Dho Cho, Younghusband 1551 (K); Sangpo Valley, H. J. Walton 1550 (K); Gyangtze, H. J. Walton 1552 (K, E00288457!); Gyangtze, Walton 1553 (K, E00288458!, holotype of Oreogenia duthienana Brand); Phembu La, 10–15 miles north of Lhasa, H. J. Walton s.n. (A!); Lhasa, circa 3650 m (K); King’s collectors 276, 1548, 1549 (K).

= Microcaryum duthieanum Brand (1925: 101). Lectotype (designated by Kazmi 1970: 395)— India: Thiri-Garhwál , ca. 5000 m ü NN, Duthie 129 (DD); Tibet : Gyangtse , Walton s.n. (B); Chumbi , Dungboo 4557 (DD). Burkchun , Dungboo s.n. (DD); without locality, Flora of Tibet, anon. 314 (DD).

= Oreogenia duthieana Brand (1925: 103). Holotype — Tibet: Gyangtse, Walton [1553?] (B†, possible isotype: E00288458!).

Description:—Shortlived annual herbs, with ephemeral leaf rosette, ca. 3–11 cm tall overall; stems branched from base, primary shoot and later shoots unequal in length, primary shoot 3–5(–11) cm long, lateral shoots 1–10 cm, spreading or ascending. Leaves with lamina ovate, rarely obovate, 5–30 × 2–6 mm, apex acuminate, base narrowed, subsessile; adaxially and abaxially pubescent, trichomes scabrid, 0.5–1 mm long, much exceeding distal leaf margin. Flowers arising in terminal monochasia, initially densely crowded, pedicels up to 1 mm apart and 0–0.5 mm long, later elongating only marginally with pedicels then up to 2.5 mm apart and up to 1 mm long; calyx divided to the base, lobes narrowly obovate, ca. 1–3.5 × 0.3–0.7 mm, densely pubescent; corolla hypocrateriform, limb 2–3.5 mm wide, pale blue, tube ca. 1–2 mm long, lobes ovate, glabrous, tube with yellow faucal scales, indistinctly two-lobed; anthers broadly ovoidal, included, <1 mm long; style 1–1.5 mm; stigma subglobose. Nutlets erect, ovoidal, ca. 0.8–1.4 × 0.5–0.6 mm, pubescent with parallel rows of trichomes, adaxially keeled, attached with suprabasal, ovate cicatrix to subulate gynobase.

Notes: —All three species of the genus are similar, but the peculiar sessile flowers, organized in densely congested terminal flowers make L. densiflorum easily distinguishable. In addition, it differs from L. munroi in the consistently larger corollas (2–3.5 mm vs. 1–2 mm wide in L. munroi ), and corolla color (sky blue vs. white to very pale blue in L. munroi ).

Distribution and habitat: —Thus far this species was only collected at high elevations in Nepal and the Tibetan Plateu. It occurs in open, often disturbed sites, on gravel slopes and in open sites between shrubs, elev. 3000–4500 m.

Specimens examined:— NEPAL. Central: Cha Lungpa, near Sangda , 14600 ft., 17 August 1977, G. Miehe 487 ( BM!) ;— TIBET: Reting , ca. 60 miles N of Lhasa, 13000 ft., 24 July 1944, F. Ludlow & G. Sheriff 11062 ( BM!) ; Hills south of Lhasa , 12500 ft., 11 July 1943, F. Ludlow & G. Sheriff 9743 ( BM!) ; Shegatse [=Xigazê = Shigatse], 12800 ft., 03 September 1935, C. S. Cutting & A. S. Vernay 81 ( GH!) ; Nangtse , 20 miles W of Lhasa, 12500 ft., 27 July 1943, F. Ludlow & G. Sheriff 9808 ( GH!) ; Kongbo Province, Lusha , 9500 ft., 29 July 1938, F. Ludlow, G. Sheriff & G. Taylor 5465 ( GH!) .