Silene melanantha Franch.

This species is probably best regarded as conspecific with Silene scopulorum, because it is impossible to find sharp discontinuities in any of the characters used for separating them.

Herbs perennial, ca. 30 cm tall. Roots long conical. Stems sparsely caespitose, ascending, simple, apically pubescent. Basal leaves narrowly oblanceolate, 8--12 cm × 5--7 mm, glabrous, margin ciliate, midvein prominent, base attenuate into long petiole, apex acute; distal leaves lanceolate, small. Cymes few flowered; flowers slightly nutant. Pedicel 1--3 cm, glandular hairy; bracts small, herbaceous. Calyx violet, campanulate, 1.2--1.4 cm × 3.5--5 mm; longitudinal veins violet, cohering at apex, glandular hairy; calyx teeth triangular-ovate, mucronulate at apex. Androgynophore ca. 2 mm. Petals dark violet, 1.5--1.8 cm, exserted beyond ca. 1/3 × length of calyx, claws obovoid, glabrous, with orbicular auricles, margin erose; limbs broadly obovate, deeply 4-lobed; medial lobes broadly band-shaped, truncate at apex, sometimes toothed; lateral lobes spreading, linear; coronal scales subsquarrose, indented-toothed. Stamens included; filaments glabrous. Styles included. Capsule ovoid, 8--10 mm. Fl. Aug.

NW Yunnan.

* Grasslands; 2800--3800(--4200) m.

Melandrium longipes Handel-Mazzetti; M. melananthum (Franchet) Handel-Mazzetti; Silene longipes (Handel-Mazzetti) C. Y. Wu.