Saussurea taraxacifolia - Dandelion Saw-Wort

Dandelion Saw-Wort is a perennial herb 15-50 cm tall. Stem is solitary, erect, simple. Basal and lower stem leaves are stalked - stalk 4-6 cm long. Leaves are narrowly elliptic or narrowly obovate, 5-15 × 1-2.5 cm, pinnately lobed with lobes pointing downwards, like leaves of Dandelion. Leaves are grayish green and densely velvety below and green and hairless above. Lateral lobes are 5-7 pairs, triangular-ovate, 6-10 × 4-10 mm, reclinate, margin entire or dentate with 1 or 2 teeth on distal side, apex acute to obtuse and mucronate. Terminal lobe is triangular, 1-1.5 × 0.5-1.5 cm. Upper stem leaves narrowly elliptic to linear, margin dentate. Flower-heads are usually solitary, at the top of stem. Involucre is bell-shaped, 2.5-3 cm in diam. Phyllaries are in 4 or 5 rows, sparsely hairy, apically blackish green, apex long acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly ovate-elliptic, 9-10 × 1-2 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly ovate-linear, 10-14 × 1-2 mm; inner phyllaries broadly linear, 14-16 × 1-1.5 mm. Flowers are purple, 1.5-1.6 cm, tube 7-8 mm, limb 7-8 mm, lobes 4-5 mm. Seed-pods are cylindric, 4-4.5 mm, tip with a small crown. Pappus is pale brown; outer bristles 2-3 mm, scabrid; inner bristles 1.1-1.2 cm. Dandelion Saw-Wort is found in the Himalayas, from Kashmir to Bhutan, at altitudes of 3400-5600 m. Flowering: July-September.