''Cyananthus macrocalyx'' is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family

Campanulaceae The family Campanulaceae (also bellflower family), of the order Asterales, contains nearly 2400 species in 84 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky sap. Among them are several familiar garden plants bel ...

. The species is native to central and western China, Nepal, Myanmar, and the

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

region of India. It is found in Alpine meadows and grassy slopes at elevations of 2,500–5,300 meters.

Description

The main root of the plant (

caudex A caudex (: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is most ...

) is large and woody, with high concentrations of

lignin Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidit ...

. Towards its top, it is covered in lance-shaped scales that are 2–6 millimeters long. The stems grow upright from the underground caudex in dense clumps. The leaves grow from the stem in an ascending spiral, becoming larger in area the closer they are to the end of the stem. The leaf blades are nearly circular, or are rounded at the end and tapering to the base. They measure 5–10 by 1–6 mm and are covered in dense white hairs on their underside. Each leaf is attached to the stem by a

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

1–4 mm long. The flowers grow individually on the ends of each stem. The protective

sepals A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

are yellow-green or purplish in color, and are sometimes covered in dense brown hairs. The flower petals are yellow, but can sometimes have purple or red veins. Towards their ends they are hairless, but there are many threadlike hairs towards the center of the flower where the petals meet. The

ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...

extends up to this point, while the seed capsules extend above it. The seeds are oval-shaped, smooth, and roughly 1.3 mm long. The species flowers from July to August.

Taxonomy

''Cyananthus macrocalyx'' was described in 1887 by

Adrien René Franchet Adrien René Franchet (21 April 1834 in Pezou – 15 February 1900 in Paris) was a French botanist, based at the Paris Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. He is noted for his extensive work describing the flora of China and Japan, base ...

. The species ''Cyananthus spathulifolius'' was described by

John Axel Nannfeldt John-Axel Nannfeldt (baptized ''Johan Axel Frithiof Nannfeldt''), born 18 January 1904 in Trelleborg and deceased 4 November 1985 in Uppsala, was a Swedish people, Swedish botany, botanist and mycology, mycologist. Nannfeldt studied natural hist ...

in 1930. However, its close similarities to ''C. macrocalyx'' were noted, and in 1997 it was demoted to a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

under the new name ''C. macrocalyx'' subsp. ''spathulifolius'' (Nannf.) K.K.Shrestha. It differs in the shape of the leaf blade, its longer flower stalks, and its smaller

calyx CALYX, Inc. is a non-profit publisher of art and literature by women founded in 1976 based in Corvallis, Oregon. CALYX publishes both '' CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women'' twice a year and CALYX Books, which publishes one to three ...

tube.

Reproduction

''Cyananthus macrocalyx'' is gynodioecious: plants have either only female organs or both male and female organs (known as a

hermaphrodite A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...

). The mass of the hermaphroditic flowers is much higher than that of the female flowers. However, the female plants have larger female organs than the hermaphrodites; in other words, the

pistil Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists ...

is larger in the female plants.

References

{{Cyananthus Navbox Campanuloideae Flora of China Flora of Assam (region) Flora of Nepal Flora of Myanmar Plants described in 1887