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Keraymonia Farille
Mark F. Watson
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Dwarf rosette perennial herbs with stout woody tap-root; stemless or almost so; crowns surrounded by papery leaf remains. Leaves horizontally spreading to ascending, oblong to oblong-triangular in outline, 1–3-pinnate; ultimate segments ovate to linear-lanceolate, entire or 3-lobed; petioles with pale broad sheathing bases. Umbels compound, primary umbel usually sessile on the crown of the plant, secondary lateral umbels with longer peduncles and shorter rays; bracts leaf-like; rays long, spreading to ascending; umbellules small; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, entire or sparingly lobed. Calyx teeth small, triangular. Petals obovate with acute inflexed tip. Stylopodium broad and slightly flattened; styles short, diverging in fruit. Fruit oblong-ovoid, mericarps weakly 5-winged.
Key to species
1 Leaves 2–3-pinnate with linear ultimate segments K. cortiformis
+ Leaves pinnate with ovate to lanceolate ultimate segments K. pinnatifolia

Keraymonia cortiformis Cauwet-Marc & Malla

Plants 10–20cm across, essentially glabrous. Leaves 4–10cm long, finely 2–3-pinnate; ultimate segments 2–3 x 0.75–1.5mm, linear-acute, often trifid at apex; petioles 1–5cm, wings often purplish, 1cm broad at base. Umbels 6–10-rayed; rays 2–15(–20)cm long; umbellules 1.2–2cm across, pedicels 5–7mm; bracteoles about as long as flowers; calyx teeth pale green, 0.5–1mm. Petals white, 1.5–2mm. Stylopodium and immature fruits blackish. Fruits 3–4mm. 

Chumbi: Chomp Lhari, Tem La (1 day NE of Phari Dzong). 

World Distribution: C Nepal to Chumbi Valley. 

Ecology: Scree and alpine turf. c 4800–4900m.
Flowers July–September. 

Illustration [Fig. 49 m-o]

Specimen List [7745]


Keraymonia pinnatifolia M.F.Watson

Plants to 9cm tall, mainly glabrous, leaf and bracteole margins pubescent. Leaves pinnate, 3–4 x 1–1.2cm; leaflets in 5–7 pairs and the odd terminal, ovate to lanceolate, 4–8 x 0.75–7mm, usually 3-toothed at apex. Primary umbel sessile on the crown, 3- to 7-rayed; rays 2.5–8cm, rather stout 1–1.3mm thick (secondary lateral umbels absent or few, pedunculate but much reduced); umbellules 1.2–1.8cm across, c 30–40-flowered; bracteoles numerous, c 12–15, obovate to oblanceolate, 7–9 x 1.5–3.5mm, equalling flowers, 3-toothed at apex; pedicels 3–5mm. Calyx teeth purple-black, ovate acute, to 0.75mm, unequal. Petals white, c 1.5 x 1.2mm. Stylopodium dark purple-black. Mature fruit unknown. 

Bhutan: C—Tashigang distict (Preng La). 

World Distribution: Apparently endemic to Bhutan, only known from the type collection.

Ecology: Alpine turf. c 4000m.
Flowers August. 

Illustration

Specimen List [15132]


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