Braya rosea (Turcz.) Bunge

A very variable species. Braya aena Bunge is a narrow fruited (c. 1.2 mm) form of this species with subappressed hairs.

Critical examination of numerous collections of Braya aenea, B. rosea, B. thomsonii, and B. tibetica, including types and authentic material, reveal that there is not a single character that can be used reliably to distinguish these "species." These and the other synonyms above represent "taxa" that are based on a small portion of the numerous morphological extremes of B. rosea. The species shows continuous variation in amount of indumentum, leaf shape and margin, relative length of scape to basal rosette, duration of sepals, petal color and shape, and fruit shape and length. In the absence of detailed field work and experimental studies, the present authors prefer not to recognize any of the taxa described in this complex.

Perennial, caespitose herb, (2-)5-8(-12) cm tall in fruit, erect or suberect, sparsely hairy with simple and branched hairs of unequal size. Radical leaves rosulate, oblong-linear, or narrowly oblanceolate, 15-40 mm long, 2-5 mm broad, stalked, entire, rarely obscurely 2-3-toothed, subfleshy, often glabrous. Racemes 10-20-flowered, not increasing in length in fruit, ± capitate. Flowers c. 2.5 mm across, pinkish, lilac or white; pedicels up to 4 mm long in fruit, spreading. Speals 2-2.5 mm long. Petals c. 3.5 mm long, 1 mm broad. Stamens c. 2: 2.5 mm long; anthers c. 0.3 mm long. Fruits 4-6(-7) mm long, (1-)1.5(-2) mm broad, ellipsoid or oblong, obscurely or not torulose, subglabrous; valves I-veined, subconvex; style 0.5-1 mm long, thickened with depressed, short stigma; septum hyaline, not veined; seeds 8-14, sub-biseriate to biseriate, c. 1 mm long, ovoid, yellowish-brown.

Herbs (1-)3-10(-16) cm tall, scapose, densely to sparsely pilose with short-stalked, forked trichomes sometimes mixed with simple ones, rarely glabrous throughout except for petiole margin; caudex slender, sometimes with petiolar remains of previous years, simple or few branched. Basal leaves rosulate; petiole (0.2-)0.4-1.6(-3) cm, slender or slightly expanded at base, ciliate; leaf blade linear, oblong, oblanceolate, obovate, (0.4-)1-3(-4) cm × 0.5-3.5(-6) mm, densely to sparsely pilose or glabrous, base attenuate, margin entire, dentate, or sinuate, apex obtuse or acute. Scapes densely pilose or glabrous, leafless or rarely 1-leaved. Racemes ebracteate, capitate or rarely considerably elongated in fruit. Fruiting pedicels divaricate or ascending, 1.5-5(-7) mm. Sepals subapically purple or greenish, oblong, 1.5-2.5(-3) × 1-1.2 mm, glabrous or densely pubescent, broadly white margined. Petals purple, pink, or white, spatulate or obovate, (2.5-)3-4(-4.5) × (0.7-)1-1.5 mm, apex obtuse. Filaments 1.3-1.8 mm; anthers ovate, ca. 0.3 mm. Ovules 8-12 per ovary. Fruit ovoid or oblong, (2-)3-6.5(-8) × 1-2 mm, glabrous or densely pubescent; style 0.2-0.7(-1) mm. Seeds ca. 0.7-1 × 0.4-0.5 mm. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Jul-Sep.

Neal, Bhutan, China, India, Kashmir, Krygyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan

Distribution: N. Asia to Tibet and Kashmir.

Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang [Bhutan, India, Kashmir, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan].

2500 - 5300 m.

Fl. Per.: June-Aug.

Mountain slopes, river banks, scree, weathered marble rocks and debris, steppe, alpine cushions; 2500-5300 m.

Platypetalum roseum Turczaninow, Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 11: 87. 1838; Braya aenea Bunge; B. aenea subsp. pseudoaenia Petrovsky; B. angustifolia (N. Busch) Vassilczenko; B. brachycarpa Vassilczenko; B. brevicaulis Em. Schmid; B. limosella Bunge; B. limoselloides Bunge ex Ledebour; B. rosea var. aenea (Bunge) Malyschev; B. rosea var. brachycarpa (Vassilczenko) Malyschev; B. rosea var. glabra Regel & Schmalhausen; B. rosea var. leiocarpa O. E. Schulz; B. rosea var. multicaulis B. Fedtschenko; B. rosea var. simplicior B. Fedtschenko; B. sinuata Maximowicz; Braya thomsonii J. D. Hooker; B. tibetica J. D. Hooker & Thomson; B. tibetica f. breviscapa Pampanini; B. tibetica f. linearifolia Z. X. An; B. tibetica f. sinuata (Maximowicz) O. E. Schulz; B. tinkleri Em. Schmid; Hesperis limosella (Bunge) Kuntze; H. limoselloides (Bunge ex Ledebour) Kuntze; H. rosea (Turczaninow) Kuntze; Sisymbrium alpinum (Sternberg & Hoppe) Fournier var. aeneum (Bunge) Trautvetter; S. alpinum var. roseum (Turczaninow) Trautvetter; S. limosella (Bunge) Fournier.