Limonium potaninii Ikonn.-Gal.

Herbs, perennial, 25--40 cm tall, densely pubescent and with clusters of stellate hairs on peduncles and rachises. Stems many, base dichotomously branched and covered with brown scales. Leaves basal; leaf blade oblong-obovate to oblong-spatulate, 2--3 X 0.8--1 cm, apex subrounded with a short awn. Inflorescences several; rachis dichotomously branched, densely verrucose and with stellate hairs, with many sterile branches and triangular scales on base of branchlets. Spikes terminal, with 5--7(--9) spikelets; spikelets 2- or 3-flowered; bracts rounded, to 3 mm, scarious, pubescent; first bractlet 5--6 mm, scarious, glabrous or pubescent, margin broadly membranous. Calyx funnelform, 6.5--7 mm; tube densely pubescent; limb pale yellow to golden; lobes short, apex obtuse, emarginate, and without an awn or mucro. Corolla orange-yellow. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Aug.

C and SW Gansu, E Qinghai, N Sichuan.

Loess slopes and sandy places; 1700--3000 m.

Limonium aureum var. potaninii (Ikonnikov-Galitzky) Peng.