Androsace duthieana Knuth

Knuth in his original diagnoses (l.c.) was not precise about the holotype, nor does he mention where it is located. It is likely that it may have been destroyed (Stafleau, Taxon, Liter. ed. 2, 1979). His description is probably based on plant material collected by Inayat Khan (Duthie's collector) in 1899 from Hazara. At Kew, there are two specimens namely (1) Kamalban, 17.6.1899, Inayat s.n., (RAW!) and (2) Urni, 24.8.1899, Inayat s.n., which bear the annotation ‘Type’ on the sheet, but the handwriting (of which I acquired a sample from B) is not in Knuth’s script.

Plants from Kashmir appear to be healthier as compared to those from Hazara. On the average they have longer scapes (32–90 mm), longer pedicels (12–23 mm) and more flowers per umbel (4-10).

A stoloniferous perennial forming loose mats. Stolons c. 1 mm thick, reddish-brown, glabrescent. Leaf rosettes 7-15 (-17) mm broad, at intervals of 5-45 mm. Leaves isomorphic, 5-10 (-12) mm long, oblong-ovate to oblong-lanceolate, densely villous when young. Scapes slender, 20-80 mm long, (2-) 4-10-flowered, sparse pubescent-glandular. Bracts 2-4.5 mm long, lanceolate, glandular-pubescent especially towards the apex. Pedicel 9-14 mm long, slender, 2½-3 times the bract length, up to 23 mm in fruit, glandulose. Flowers pink. Calyx 2.5-3 mm long, 1/3 rd cleft, glandulose; lobes obtuse, 1.5-2 mm long, ciliate. Corolla tube equalling or slightly exceeding the calyx; lobes c. 3.5-5 mm long, obovate, often 2-fid, throat barely annulate. Style less than 1 mm long, stigma capitate. Capsule globose, barely exceeding the calyx. Seeds 2-3 in number, ovoid, c. 1.5-2.0 mm long, vesiculose.

Distribution: N.W. Himalaya in Hazara and Kashmir.

Fl Per.: June–August.