Gentianella tumailica - Tumail Gentian

Tumail Gentian is an annual, erect herb, 3.5-8.0 cm high; stem four-edged, finely lineolate, ridged, hairless, unbranched or branched from the base. It is named after the Tumail region in Kargil. Flowers are born in clusters at branch-ends and in leaf-axils. Flowers are clustered, stalked, 5-merous, proximally enveloped by 2-4 bracts; bracts 3-4 x about 1 mm. Flowers are dusty pink to white below, purplish white on upper surface with purple tinge at throat and veins, 6.0-7.7 mm long; tube 3.8-4.5 mm long; petals 2.2-3.2 mm long, ovoid- oblong, with a short sharp point to cuspidate at tip; sinuses between lobes pointed; nectaries twice as many as flower lobes. Sepal-cup is 3.7-5.0 mm long; tube 1.45-1.75 mm long; sepals unequal, 2 long and 3 short, 2.2-3.0 mm long, linear-lanceshaped. Stamens are 5, filaments 2.0-2.5 mm long. Basal leaves are well developed, clustered in a rosette, longer than stem leaves, stalkless, obovate to oblanceolate-spoon-shaped, 5.0-14.0 x 2.0-5.5 mm. Stem leaves are few, stalkless, opposite, ellipsoid-obovate, 4.0-10.0 x 1.8-3.0 mm, blunt at tip, pointed to wedge-shaped at base. Capsule is 4.0-5.2 mm long, ellipsoid-oblong. Tumail Gentian is found only in the Kargil region in Ladakh, as of now, at altitudes of 4000-4200 m. Flowering: July-September.