Incarvillea mairei (H. Lév.) Grierson

Herbs perennial, stemless, 30-40 cm. Leaves basal, 1-pinnately compound; lateral leaflets 2-8 pairs, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, glabrous, base slightly cordate to broadly cuneate, margin serrate, apex obtuse to acuminate. Inflorescences racemose, 2-4-flowered, subterminal; peduncle subequalling or much longer than pedicels; bractlets linear, ca. 1 cm. Calyx campanulate, ca. 2.5 cm; teeth triangular, apex acuminate. Corolla purple-red or pale red, 7-10 X 5-7 cm; tube 5-6 cm; lobes rounded. Anthers adherent and surrounding style, strongly divergent. Style 5-7 cm; stigma flabellate, thin membranous, 2-lobed. Capsule conical, 6-8 X ca. 1 cm, indistinctly striate. Seeds broadly ovoid, numerous. Fl. May-Aug, fr. Jul-Nov.

Qinghai, Sichuan, SE and E Xizang, NW and SW Yunnan [Bhutan, Nepal].

Slopes, roadsides, grasslands, forests; 2400-4500 m.

Flowering from May to August; fruiting from July to November.

Incarvillea mairei var. marrei is close relative of Incarvillea mairei var. multifoliolata, but differs from the latter in its lateral leaflet 2-3-paris (vs. 4-8-pairs).

Incarvillea mairei is occurring in W Sichuan, E Xizang, N and NW Yunnan of China.

Phylogeny of Incarvillea was inferred from ITS and trnL-F DNA sequences (Chen et al., 2005). Results showed that the genus is monophyletic. Analysis of the combined data resulted in a single tree with five major clades highly supported and well resolved. The relationships of the five major clades are (subgenus Niedzwedzkia (Incarvillea olgae (subgenus Amphicome (subgenus Incarvillea, subgenus Pteroscleris)))). All four subgenera are well supported for monophyly, with the exception of subgenus Incarvillea. The two basal monotypic subgenera are found in Central Asia. The most species-rich subgenus, Pteroscleris, has 10 species in the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains and may have dispersed early from central Asia to eastern Asia. Short branch lengths on the molecular trees within Pteroscleris suggest a recent and rapid radiation of this rosette-forming subgenus, perhaps connected with the uplift of the Himalaya-Hengduan massif.

Herbs perennial, stemless, 30-40 cm tall. Leaves basal, 1-pinnately compound; lateral leaflets 2-3-pairs, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, glabrous, base slightly cordate to broadly cuneate, margin serrate, apex obtuse to acuminate. Inflorescences racemose, 2-4-flowered, subterminal; peduncle ca. 20 cm; bractlets linear, ca. 1 cm long. Calyx campanulate, ca. 2.5 cm long; teeth triangular, apex acuminate. Corolla purple-red or pale red, 7-10 cm long, 5-7 cm wide; tube 5-6 cm long; lobes rounded. Anthers adherent and surrounding style, strongly divergent. Style 5-7 cm long; stigma flabellate, thin membranous, 2-lobed. Capsule conical, 6-8 cm long, ca. 1 cm wide, indistinctly striate. Seeds broadly ovoid, numerous.

The chromosomal number of Incarvillea mairei is 2n = 22 (Chen et al., 2004).

Growing in slopes, roadsides; 2400-4000 m.