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Biennial or perennial herbs from fusiform roots or a thickened tap-root. Leaves simple, ternate or 13-pinnate; petioles narrowly winged at base. Umbels compound, bracts few or absent, bracteoles linear sometimes absent. Calyx teeth obsolete (except P. sikkimensis). Petals ovate or oblong, acute, incurved at apex (except P. tongloensis). Stylopodium domed, styles spreading in fruit. Fruit ovoid or ellipsoid, slightly compressed laterally, mericarps somewhat obscurely 5-ribbed, ornamented with papillae or glabrous. Key to species
Pimpinella tibetanica H.Wolff Vernacular Name: Gatig (Medicinal name). A small, little branched erect herb (6)1045cm tall; stem sparsely white pubescent below, denser above beneath the umbels; inflorescence branches denesly pubescent. Leaves dimorphic, mostly basal and simple, the lower cauline leaves ternate with similarly broad ovate leaflets, the uppermost leaves often pinnatisect into linear-oblong or oblong-triangular acute segments; leaflets of lower leaves 1.14.2 x 13.7cm, apex acute, base cordate to truncate, margin crenate, densely pubescent below slightly less so above; petioles 1.214cm, petiolules 0.11.5cm. Umbels mainly terminal, 35cm across, (8-)1014-rayed; rays 1323mm; bracts 15, linear, 616mm long; umbellules 68mm across, 1018-flowered; pedicels 0.52.5mm; bracteoles 45, 2.54mm long, linear. Petals white or dark purple, c 1 x 0.5mm. Fruit c 1.7 x 1.5mm, ovoid-ellipsoid, densely covered in a granular minute papillae. Bhutan: CHa district (Tare
La) and Thimphu district (Barshong, Paro Valley, Phajoding, Shodug, Taka
La); NUpper Mo Chu district (Laya), Upper Phu Chu district (Lunana),
Upper Bumthang Chu district (Tsampa) and Upper Kulong Chu district (Pangte
La).
Ecology: Open dry alpine turf, amongst shrubs, 30004100m. Flowers JuneJuly(August). Specimen List [11098] Note:
Many Bhutanese specimens have been missidentified as the southern Indian
P. candolleana Wight & Arnott.
Pimpinella tongloensis P.K.Mukherjee
Darjeeling: Labha, Rissisum, Tanglu. Ecology: Dry ares in mixed forests, 25002800m. Flowers August(September). Specimen List [11478]
Pimpinella urceolata Watt ex Banerji emend. P.K.Mukherjee Erect to ascending wiry perennial or biennial 45100cm tall; stem slender, much branched, glabrous to moderately pubescent with white strigose hairs, inflorescence branches densely white pubescent. Leaves pinnate with 23 pairs of pinnae; leaflets of lower leaves ovate, 1.58 x 13.5cm, apex acuminate, margin creno-serrate, base truncate to obtuse, moderately pubescent with white septate hairs below, less so above; petioles 37cm, petiolules to 2.5cm; upper leaves smaller (but still pinnate with 2 leaflets), leaflets much narrower to lanceolate (or linear), sometimes pinnately lobed, apex acuminate, margin serrate, base cuneate. Umbels 23.5cm across, 57(8)-rayed; rays 0.62cm long, filiform, unequal; bracts 02, to 3mm, linear-subulate; umbellules c 5mm across, 711-flowered; pedicels short, 0.52.2mm (to 5mm in fruit), unequal; bracteoles (0-)14, linear-subulate, 0.752.5mm. Petals white to cream (rarley tinged purple), c 0.7 x 0.5mm, hairy on the reverse. Fruit c 1.5 x 1.3mm, ovoid-subglobose, covered with rounded to pointed papillae. Bhutan: SChukka district
(Chima Kothi); CThimphu district (Gida, Motithang, Simtokha Dzong,
Thimphu), Punakha district (Chusom) and Tongsa district (Shamgong, Tashiling);
NUpper Mo Chu district (Mo Chu).
Ecology: Open areas, dry grasslands and arid lands, 9002600m. Flowers AugustSeptember(October). Illustration [Fig. 50 j-l] Specimen List [11000]
Pimpinella diversifolia DC. Erect slender-stemmed perennial, laxly corymbosely branched above, 0.71m or more tall; stem variably pubescent but denser at base and below umbels; inflorescence branches densely pubescent. Leaves mainly trifoliate (or lower leaves pinnate with 2 pairs of lateral leaflets); leaflets 1.57.5 x 1.35.5cm, ovate, apex acute to acuminate, base cordate to truncate (-obtuse), margin serrate or biserrate, moderately pubescent below with jointed white hairs, less hairy above; petioles 110cm, petiolules 0.36cm, both moderate to sparsely pubescent. Inflorescences born at top of plant, umbels 35cm across, (10-)1524-rayed; rays 0.62cm, unequal; bracts 1, lanceolate sometimes with a leaf-like expanded apex, 0.51cm long; umbellules c 1.2cm across, 1526-flowered; pedicels 0.58mm, very unequal; bracteoles 37, 1.55mm, linear subulate. Petals cream to purple fringed cream, c 0.8 x 0.6mm, with a few white hairs on the reverse. Anthers dark purple, filaments cream. Fruit ovoid to sub-globose, 1.21.6 x 1.21.6mm, densely covered in rounded papillae.
Plant without stolons, purple jointed hairs scattered but not dense, fruit set good. Bhutan: C Mongar district
(Dong La).
Specimen List [15145] Note: Apparently the less common variety in Bhutan. Pimpinella diversifolia var. stolonifera Handel-Mazzetti Lower parts of stem densely to moderately pubescent with jointed long purple(-brown) hairs, mixing with shorter white simple hairs and becomming glabrous above; long, slender, flexuose stolons arising from the axils of the lower leaves, rooting and shooting at nodes (with simple leaves), sparsely hairy. Fruit set often rather poor. Bhutan: SChukka district
(Bunakha, Bunakha to Chima Kothi);
CThimphu district (Dochong La,
Motithang, Phajoding, Thimphu).
Ecology: Moist mixed woodland, shaded pathsides, banks, etc., 20003500m. Flowers JulySeptember. Specimen List [15146] Pimpinella sikkimensis C.B.Clarke
Chaerophyllum orientalis (C.B.Clarke) P.K.Mukherjee non Boissier Darjeeling: Ghumpahar, Rimbi
Chhu.
Ecology: Mixed forest, 18002500. Flowers August. Specimen List [11419] Note: An immature Bhutanese specimen (Upper Kulong Chhu district, Shingbe La, 10,000', Ludlow, Sherriff and Hicks, No 20815, 5 July 1949, BM!) maybe this species.
Pimpinella wallichii C.B.Clarke
Sikkim: Hee, Heethlo, Kalej Khola. 12001850m. Flowers September. Specimen List [11443] ![]() |