Haplophyllum acutifolium (DC.) G. Don fil.

Commonly found in stony and gravelly locations at 1400-2300 m in Kurram Valley and Quetta district. The leaves grow vertically on the stems.

C. C. Huang (Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 43(2): 87. 1997) mistakenly called this species Haplophyllum perforatum (M. Bieberstein) Karelin & Kirilov. The H. perforatum Karelin & Kirilov (1841) is based a different type than Ruta perforata M. Bieberstein (1800), and a combination of the R. perforata in Haplophyllum is a later homonym. The oldest specific epithet available for this species is R. acutifolia Candolle (1824).

Plants erect, 30-50 cm tall, with corymbiform branching, branches green or whitish, somewhat glaucous, glabrous, ± gland dotted. Leaves 20-39 x 5-13 mm, elliptic-oblong to lanceolate or elliptic, base tapering to a short petiole, acute to subacute, dark glandular-punctate. Inflorescence in dense, small-flowered corymbs; bracts lanceolate, sparsely pubescent or glabrous. Sepals ovate, 0.5-1 mm, obtuse, sparsely ciliate glandular, persistant. Petals yellow, 4-5 mm, elliptical, shortly clawed, glandular. Filaments free to about half the length of the petals, glandular, barbate inside the expanded portion. Ovary 5-locular, glabrous, densely glandular; style 1.5 mm, glabrous. Capsule 4 mm broad, densely covered with protuding glands, indehiscent. Seed 1 in each locule.

Herbs, perennial, to 80 cm tall. Stem many branched; branches stout, spreading, glabrous, with oil glands; branchlets angular. Leaves glabrous; petiole 4-6 mm or leaf subsessile; leaf blade ovate to rhombic but on basal part of branches lanceolate and on apical part of branches narrowly elliptic, 3-5 × 0.5-2 cm, thickly papery, with oil glands. Inflorescences many flowered; rachis pubescent when young; bracts linear to narrowly elliptic, margin ciliate. Flowers pedicellate. Sepals triangular-ovate, to 1 mm, basally connate. Petals yellow, ca. 3 × 1.5 mm, with scattered semipellucid oil glands. Staminal filaments flattened in ± their basal half. Ovary globose; style ca. 0.5 mm; stigma slightly enlarged. Capsule 4- or 5-carpelled, 3-4 mm in diam. when mature, with protruding oil glands when young, 2-seeded. Fl. May, fr. Sep.

Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia].

Fl. Per.: June-July.

Grassy areas, riversides; ca. 700 m.

Ruta acutifolia Candolle, Prodr. 1: 711 1824; Haplophyllum flexuosum Boissier; H. perforatum Karelin & Kirilov; H. sieversii Fischer & C. A. Meyer; R. flexuosa (Boissier) Engler; R. perforata M. Bieberstein; R. sieversii (Fischer & C. A. Meyer) B. Fedtschenko.