Tags: endemic | plant

Scabiosa lacerifolia Hayata (DIPSACACEAE) 玉山山蘿蔔

The Dipsacaceae comprises about eleven genera with over 100 species worldwide, mostly around the Mediterranean region, but with a high generic diversity in the eastern Himalaya. Based on a specimen collected from Mt. Yushan, Prof. Bunzo Hayata published Scabiosa lacerifolia as new to science in 1906. It is the only indigenous species of this family in Taiwan. Plants of S. lacerifolia occur on exposed scree slopes or grassy meadows at 2,000 to 3,600 m altitude. Their beautiful flowers are arranged in heads. Corollae are blue-colored, although white flowered form was noted in literature.
 

Photo by Kuo-Fang Chung
Legend by Ching-I Peng & Maolun Weng
Digital Archives of Indigenous Plants of Taiwan, Academia Sinica

Text and images are provided by TELDAP e-Newsletter (June, 2009)