Stipa purpurea Griseb., Nachrichten von der Koeniglichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften und der Georg-Augusts-Universitaet zu Goettingen 3: 82-83. 1868.

Nobis, Marcin, Krzempek, Marta, Nowak, Arkadiusz, Gudkova, Polina D. & Klichowska, Ewelina, 2022, Resurrection of Stipa tremula and taxonomy of the high-alpine species from the Stipa purpurea complex (Poaceae, Pooideae), PhytoKeys 196, pp. 21-47 : 21

Stipa purpurea Griseb., Nachrichten von der Koeniglichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften und der Georg-Augusts-Universitaet zu Goettingen 3: 82-83. 1868.

Ptilagrostis purpurea ≡ Ptilagrostis purpurea (Griseb.) Roshev., Fl. URSS 2: 76. 1934

Type protologue.

T. Nari Khorsum, H. v. Schlagintweit. Type: [China] Tibet, Gnari (Nari) Khorsum, alt. 5000 m, 5-15 Sep 1855, Schlagintweit 7116 (holotype, GOET!; isotypes, BM 959325!, K 000032088!, LE 9281!, P!).

Description.

Perennial plants, densely tufted, with a few culms and numerous vegetative shoots; culms (11.5-)16.0-37.2(-60.0) cm tall, 1-2(-3)-noded, nodes distributed close together in the lowermost part of the culm. Leaves of vegetative shoots: sheaths shortly and densely pubescent; ligules acute, with few cilia at the apex, on the external sheaths (1.5-)3.5-4.5(-6.0) mm long, whereas on the internal sheaths (3.8-)4.5-6.5(-8.0); blades convolute, green, pale green to greyish, (4.2-)6.0-14.0(-20.0) cm long, 0.3-0.5(-0.7) mm in diameter, adaxial surface covered by dense, 0.15-0.25 mm long hairs, abaxial surface glabrous, scabrous or shortly pilose (grading to almost smooth towards the apex). Cauline leaves: lower sheaths densely and shortly pubescent, middle and upper sheath shortly pubescent or glabrous; ligules acute, on the lower sheaths (2.0-)4.0-7.2(-8.0) mm long, on the middle sheaths (2.2-)4.5-8.0(-9.0) and on the upper sheaths (3.5-)4.8-8.1(-9.2); blades convolute, green, pale green or greyish (4.5-)4.7-6.1(-7.8) cm long, adaxial surface covered with short hairs, abaxial surface glabrous, scabrous to shortly pubescent. Panicle (3.5-)9.7-17.5(-20.0) cm long, open, with (3-)6-15(-20) spikelets, at base enclosed by the sheath of the uppermost leaf; branches ascending, flexuous setulose, slightly scabrous, to glabrous and smooth, single or paired, 2-6 cm long. Glumes subequal (the lower slightly longer than the upper), purplish, (17-)19-26(-28) mm long, lanceolate, with hyaline margins and long tip. Floret (lemma + callus) (8.5-)9.5-11.2(-12.1) mm long and up to 1.0 mm wide. Callus (1.8-)2.0-2.4(-2.7) mm long, densely pilose, on ventral part with hairs (0.4-)0.6-0.8(-1.0) mm long, on dorsal with (0.4-)0.5-0.7(-0.8) mm long hairs; callus base 0.5-0.8 mm long and 0.15-0.20 mm wide, sharply pointed, scar narrow-elliptic. Lemma coriaceous, straw-coloured, purplish or brownish, covered throughout (from the bottom to top) by dense ascending to appressed hairs 0.3-0.8 mm long or the uppermost part of lemma, at 0.2-0.5 mm to the top, completely glabrous (hairless); top of lemma glabrous or surpassed by a ring of unequal hairs 0.2-0.8 mm long and with (or without) two minute apical lobes 0.1-0.3 mm long. Awn (58-)70-91(-105) mm long, bigeniculate; the lower segment of the awn (column) (6.5-)10-13(-16) mm long, twisted, 0.3-0.4 mm wide near the base, with (1.5-)1.6-2.0(-2.2) mm long hairs, the middle segment of the awn (7-)8-9(-10) mm long, twisted, with (1.7-)2.0-2.3(-2.5) mm long hairs; terminal segment (seta) slightly arcuate or flexuous (40-)50-69(-80) mm long with hairs longer than those on the column, (1.9-)2.1-2.4(-2.7) mm long, gradually decreasing in length towards the apex. Palea equalling lemma in length. Ovary with two styles.

Habitat.

High mountain steppes, semi-deserts, stony slopes, gravelly or sandy flats and valley silt, 4000-5200 m a.s.l.

Distribution.

Himalayas, southern Karakorum, Tibetan Plateau (Fig. 3 ); China (Xizang), India (Ladakh, north Sikkim) ( Noltie 2000; Liu et al. 2008; Ma and Sun 2018).

Selected specimens examined.

China: Xizang Province, Rebang, Ritu County, alt. 4300 m, 28 Aug 1976, Xizang Team 76-9126 (PE); east of Ando County , around transit station 23, flat landscape, 3 Aug 1961, S. Wang 3698 (PE); Ali District , Gaer County , Menshi , gritty hillside, 9 Jul 1976, Maizang Team 76-7956 (PE); Aligaize County , plateau, alt. 4450 m, Aug 1978, F. Li 015 ( PE 707342 ) ; Geji County, hillside, no. 13545 (PE); Zuozuo District, Gar County , Langjiu , Ali , alt. 4650-4700 m, grassland, 10 Aug 1976, Qing Zang team 76-8646 ( PE 707397 ) ; alt. 4600 m, 17 Sept 1976, no. 10333 ( PE 707387 ) ; alt. 4700-5000 m, 1 Sept 1976, no. 10106 ( PE 707334 ) ; alt. 5000 m, 19 Jul 1976, Xizang team 76-8541 ( PE 707339 ) ; alt. 4900 m, 21 Aug 1976, Xizang team 76-9102 ( PE 707338 ) ; alt. 4400 m, 9 Jul 1976, Xizang team 76-7956 ( PE 707336 ) ; alt. 4800 m, 24 Jul 1976, no. 9819 ( PE 707332 ) ; alt. 5100 m, 13 Sept 1976, no. 9032 ( PE 707337 ) ; Xizang Province, alt. 5050 m, 1 Aug 1976, no. 4900 ( PE 707390 ) ; alt. 5000 m, 17 Aug 1976, no. 10025 ( PE 707393 ) ; Ritu County, Rebang , gritty land, alt. 4300 m, 28 Aug 1976, Xizang team 76-9126 ( PE 707345 ) ; Purang County, Huoer , north slope, hillside grassland, alt. 4860 m, 22 Jul 1976, Qing zhang team 76-8569 (PE) . India: NW India, Jammu and Kashmir State, Ladakh, Rupshu, Samad Rokchen , Valley to Rang , alt. 4810-4900 m , 33°15.2'N, 78°05.7'E, 5 Aug 2001, L. Klimeš 1262,1263 (KRA); NW India, Jammu and Kashmir State, Ladakh, Rupshu, Tso Moriri , slopes along the Luglung River , alt. 5200 m, 23 Aug 1999 , 33°2'N, 78°27'E, L. Klimeš 619 (KRA); NW India, Jammu and Kashmir State, Ladakh, Rupshu, Samad Rokchen , crossing Thukje - Polokongka , Polokongka - Nuruchan, alt. 4630-4660 m, 5 Aug 2001 , 33°16.6'N, 78°4.6' E, L. Klimeš 1260 (KRA 479102); Sikkim, Naku La , alt. 16000 ft, 2 Nov 1909, Ribu & Rhomoo 2769 (CUH) .

Figures

Figure 3. The distribution range of Stipa purpurea (purple backgrounds and points), S. tremula (blue backgrounds and points) and S. arenosa (yellow points).