Scorzonera aksekiensis

Caulescent perennial herb. Rootstock vertical, tuberous, incrassate, oblong cylindrical, rarely branched, 1.0 – 1.5 cm diameter. Stem ascending to erect, 15 – 35 cm tall, shortly stellate hairy at ground and underground level, generally glabrous or sparsely short stellate hairy below, glabrous above, branched at and below the middle; branches ascending to erect. Lower leaves crowded at base, 7–15 X 0.8–1.2 cm, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, with margin mostly entire or rarely weakly undulate, ± gradually narrowed towards the petiole, expanding again at base and closely overlapping petioles; main veins conspicuous, glabrous or sparsely short stellate hairy; petiole non-chlorophyllous, minutely stellate hairy at ground and underground level; lower cauline leaves similar to basal leaves, but without widening petiole, not amplexicaule, entire, glabrous or sparsely short stellate hairy; upper cauline leaves decreasing in size towards the capitula, sessile, not amplexicaule, narrowly linear lanceolate, entire, ± glabrous. Capitula 2 – 6 per stem, homogamous, ligulate, solitary at the end of the branches, 22 – 30 mm long and 6 – 9 mm wide at base; outer phyllaries 5 – 7 X 4 – 6 mm below, broadly ovate, acute to acuminate at apex, glabrous, rarely with few hairs; inner phyllaries elongating in fruit, 13 – 25 mm, lanceolate, acuminate at apex, glabrous and scarious along margins below. Flowers yellow, ligules of marginal fl owers with or without slightly purplish stripes, drying pale yellow, ligules longer than inner phyllaries, 20 – 24 mm long; ligules 5-toothed, with teeth ca 0.25 mm long. Style branches filiform, each branch 2 – 3 mm long, papillose, shorter than ligules. Achenes 8 – 12 mm long, cylindrical, ridged, deeply sulcate, muricate in middle and upper parts, slightly swollen at base, glabrous; pappus white, 10 – 14 mm long; short pappus hairs entirely plumose; long pappus hairs plumose below and scabrous above. Flowering in June – July.