Chionocharis hookeri (C. B. Clarke) I. M. Johnst. (1924: 66)

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 : 8-9

1. Chionocharis hookeri (C. B. Clarke) I. M. Johnst. (1924: 66)

Basionym:— Myosotis hookeri C. B. Clarke in Hooker (1883: 174). Type (lectotype, designated here):— INDIA, Sikkim: Lama Kongra, 24 July [18]49, 15000 ft., J. D. H. [J. D. Hooker] s.n. (K-001085990!). Syntypes:— INDIA, Sikkim: Hab. Sikkim., regio Alp., alt.

15–17,000 ft., J. D. H. [J. D. Hooker] s.n. (K001085989!; P04053148!);— INDIA, Sikkim: 17000 ft., 14. September [18?]48, no collector [J. D.Hooker s.n.] (K001085988!) .

≡ Eritrichium hookeri (C. B. Clarke) Brand in Engler (1931: 193)

Description:—Perennial cushion plants, with numerous densely crowded shoots, cushions ca. 50 cm in diameter; stems branched from along their entire length, primary shoot and lateral shoots equal in length, ultimately> 5 cm long. Leaves with lamina subcircular to flabellate, 5–15 × ca. 5 mm, apex rounded, base narrow, petiole distinct, flattened, 7 × 1 mm; abaxially subglabrous, adaxially densely white ciliate, especially along the distal margin, trichomes soft, ca. 1 mm long, much exceeding distal leaf margin. Flowers arising singly on a pedicel ca. 5 mm long, completely immersed in cushion, with only the corolla emergent; calyx divided to the base, lobes narrowly obovate, ca. 4.5 × 1–2 mm, long pubescent; corolla hypocrateriform, limb 7–8 mm wide, azure, tube ca. 6–8 mm long, lobes ovate, glabrous, tube with yellow faucal scales, indistinctly two-lobed; anthers broadly ovoidal, included, ca. 1 mm long; style ca. 2 mm, stigma subglobose. Nutlets erect, ovoidal, ca. 1 × 0. 5 mm, appressed pubescent, trichomes scattered, adaxially keeled, attached with suprabasal, ovate-triangular cicatrix to subulate gynobase.

Notes: —This species is very distinct morphologically and might only be confused with the cushion-forming species of Eritrichium . Chionocharis hookeri differs from the cushion-forming Eritrichium in the ovate, rarely obovate leaves (vs. oblanceolate leaves in Eritrichium ), and ovoidal, appressed pubescent nutlets (vs. dorsiventrally compressed, glochidiate nutlets in Eritrichium ).

Distribution and habitat: —Widespread at high elevations from southwestern China over Bhutan to Nepal and northwestern India. Restricted to open, high alpine habitats, where it occurs mostly on shallow soils over rock and in rock crevices ca. 3500–5000 m. Greyish-woolly cushion herb in exposed rocky ridge, moist screes and in stable boulder field.

Specimens examined:— CHINA. Yunnan: NW Yunnan, Mountains of Moting, Mekong-Yangtse divide, June 1923, J. F. Rock 10550 (K!) ; Mekong-Yangtse divide, N 27° 36´, E 99° 10´, 14000–15000 ft., July 1921, G. Forrest 19685 (K!) ; Hom-pu Shan, Meklong-Salwin divide, N 28° 18´, E 99°, 14000–14500 ft., September 1921, G. Forrest 20211 (K!) ; Hung-po west of Tung-chu-ling, overlooking Mekong, west of Pei-ma Shan , May-June 1932, J. E. Rock 22882 (K!) ; Yunnan , 1917–1919, G. Forrest 14666 (K!) ; Yunnan , 1917–1919, G. Forrest 14520 (K!) ; western China, 10000 ft., July [19]04, E. H. Wilson 4166 (K!) ; Szechuan: Mountains north of Baurong and east of Yalung river . July 1929, J. F. Rock 17777 (K!) ; East Nepal: Above Lhonak , N 27° 47´, E 88° 04´, 5000 m, 11 September 1989, S. Crawford et al. (KEKE Team) 571 (E!, K!, KATH!) ; same locality and number, but different collector, C. Grey-Wilson et al. 571 ( KATH!) ; Sankhuwasabha District, SE of Makalu, above Base Camp , N 27° 52´, E 87° 05´, 4980 m, 5 October 1991, D. G. Long, R. J. D. McBeanth, D. R McKean, D. A. H. Rae, N. K. Bhattarai 537 ( KATH!) .

Microcaryum I. M. Johnst. (1924: 63) . Type:— Microcaryum pygmaeum (C. B. Clarke) I. M. Johnst. ( Eritrichium pygmaeum C. B. Clarke )

Description:—Short-lived annual herbs, arising from ephemeral leaf rosette (drying at flowering); stems up to 3 cm tall. Leaves with lamina ovate or obovate, apex acuminate, adaxially pubescent, trichomes soft, ca. 1 mm long, not exceeding distal leaf margin. Flowers arising in very dense terminal monochasia (internodes shorter than pedicels), flowers exposed on pedicels much longer than subtending bracts. Nutlets erect, ovoidal, ca. 1 × 0.5 mm, appressed pubescent, adaxially keeled, attached with basal, ovate-triangular cicatrix to subulate gynobase.

Microcaryum includes one species that ranges from northwestern India to southwestern China.