Aletris L. Sp. Pl.: 319 (1753).
Stachyopogon Klotzsch.
Taxon Description
Perennial rhizomatous herbs. Rhizomes adventitious; roots thin or fleshy. Stem single, erect, glabrous or pubescent. Leaves basal, tufted, in rosette and progressively reduced upwards, spirally arranged, simple, linear with parallel venation and prominent veins on lower leaves, sessile, acute at apex, entire. Scape glabrous or pubescent with few bract-like leaves, Inflorescence racemose. Flowers trimerous, gamotepalous, actinomorphic, bracteate, pedicellate; bracts linear-lanceolate, glabrous. Perianth ovate, campanulate or urceolate with spreading to reflexed lobes, glabrous, petaloid, persistent. Tepals 6 in two whorls, linear-lanceolate, enclosing androecium and gynoecium. Stamens 6 in two whorls, epitepalous, included, opposite to tepals. Filaments distinct, attached to tepals; anthers introse, dorsifixed, bilobed. Gynoecium tricarpellate, syncarpous; ovary ovoid, trilocular, with axile placentation; ovules numerous. Style 1, persistent; stigma 1, capitate or trifid. Capsules ovoid to subglobose or ellipsoid, with persistent tepals, splitting longitudinally on outer face. Seeds numerous, linear to curved with longitudinal ridges, with or without terminal appendages.
Taxon Statistics
About 24 species in S Asia, E Asia and N America (Christenhusz et al., 2017). Four species in Nepal.
Key to Species
1 a Plant glabrous. Bract borne at or near the base of pedicel ………………………………………………………. 2
b Plant pubescent. Bract borne at or near the apex of pedicel ………………………………………………………. 3
2 a Plant up to 30cm tall. Perianth lobes strongly recurved ………………………………………….. 2. A. gracilis
b Plant more than 30 cm tall. Perianth lobes strongly constricted at apex …………………….. 1. A. glabra
3 a Basal leaves up to 20 …………………………………………………………………………………………. 4. A. pauciflora
b Basal leaves more than 20 ……………………….……………………………………………………………..…….. 3. A. nana
1. Aletris glabra Bureau & Franch., J. Bot. (Morot) 5: 156 (1891).
Aletris sikkimensis Hook.f.; Aletris foliosa var. sikkimensis (Hook.f.) Franch.
Perennial herbs, glabrous. 1–40(–68) cm. Rhizomes with adventitious roots; roots to 20 cm. Scape 11.5–26(–65) cm × 1–1.5(–3) mm, longer than leaves, glabrous, slender, bearing several leaves from base, bract-like leaves on scape, 1.2–7 cm. Leaves 9–11 with 5–9 prominent veins on underside of lower leaves, 6–20 cm × 1.4–13 mm. Inflorescence stalk 4–10(–21) cm, glabrous; pedicel 1–2 mm, glabrous. Bracts borne at base of pedicel, 1(–2), apex acute, lower bract 4–6 mm, upper bract 2–3 mm. Flowers 7–34, white, 4–6(–8) mm × 3–5(–7) mm, glabrous. Perianth ovoid to urceolate (strongly constricted at apex); tepals apex acute. Filaments 2 mm upper 1 mm of filament free; anther cordate at base, apex pointed, 2.5–3.2 mm × 1.1–1.5 mm. Style curved, about 4 mm long. Stigma nearly capitate. Capsules obovoid to subglobose, 4–5 mm. Seeds numerous, linear with longitudinal ridges, without terminal appendages, reddish brown.
Distribution: Nepal, E Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, and E Asia.
Altitudinal range: 2400−3500 m.
Ecology: Alpine grassland and in moist, shady places.
Flowering: June–July. Fruiting: September–October.
2. Aletris gracilis Rendle, J. Bot. 44: 41 (1906).
Aletris stelliflora Hand.-Mazz.
Perennial herbs, glabrous, 3–23 cm. Rhizomes with adventitious roots, surrounded by collar of persistent fibres from disintegrated leaf bases; roots to 9 cm. Scape 2–8(–21) cm × 0.5–1 mm, glabrous, bearing several leaves from base, bract like leaves on scape, 0.4–6 cm. Leaves 4–10, with 5–7 prominent veins on underside of lower leaves, 1.5–19 cm × 0.8–3.8 mm. Inflorescence stalk 1–4.5 cm long, glabrous; pedicel 1–7 mm, glabrous. Bracts borne at base of pedicel, 1(–2), apex acute; lower bract 4–16 mm, upper bract 2–4 mm long. Flowers 2–7, pale pink, 2–6 mm × 2–4 mm, glabrous. Tepals ovoid, apex acute, reflexed. Filaments 1–1.2 mm, attached to tepals but upper 0.5–0.6 mm of filament free; anthers cordate at base, 0.4–0.6 mm × 0.3 mm. Style straight, 0.7–1 mm; stigma capitate. Capsule globose to subglobose or ellipsoid, 4–5 mm. Seeds numerous, curved with longitudinal ridges, 0.6–1 mm × 0.3–0.5 mm, reddish brown.
Distribution: Nepal, E Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Assam-Burma, and E Asia.
Altitudinal range: 2500−4100 m.
Ecology: Alpine grassland and on moist, sunny banks.
Flowering: June−July. Fruiting: September−October.
3. Aletris nana S.C.Chen, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 19: 503 (1981).
Aletris alpestris var. occidentalis H.Hara
Perennial rhizomatous herbs; upper part hairy, 2.5-3 cm. Rhizomes with fleshy adventitious roots, roots to 7 cm. Scape 1.5–3 cm × 1 mm, stout, shorter than leaves, partly covered by white hairs, bearing several leaves from base, bract like leaves on scape, 2–7 mm. Leaves densely tufted, dry papery, linear lanceolate, more than 40, with 3–5 prominent veins on underside of lower leaves, 1.5–3 cm × 1.5–3.5 mm. Inflorescence stalk 8–10 mm, upper part of scape hairy; pedicel very short, white-hairy, 3 mm. Bracts borne near apex of pedicel, 1(–2), apex acute, lower bract 8–11 mm, upper bract 2–2.5 mm. Flowers 3–8, white to pale apricot, 2–4 mm × 1–2 mm, glabrous. Perianth campanulate; tepals apex obtuse. Filaments very short, free from the base of the lobes, anthers elliptic ca. 0.8 mm. Style straight, ca. 0.5 mm, contracted.
Distribution: Nepal, Tibetan Plateau and E Asia.
Altitudinal range: 3200 m.
Ecology: Alpine grassland and rock faces.
Flowering/Fruiting: May−June.
Description of Aletris nana is based on the protologue text, and digital image of holotype (BM).
4. Aletris pauciflora (Klotzsch) Hand.-Mazz., Symb. Sin. 7: 1220 (1936).
Stachyopogon pauciflorus Klotzsch, Bot. Ergebn. Reise Waldemar: 49 (1862); Aletris
nepalensis Hook.f.; Tofieldia napalensis Wall. nom. inval.
पाङ्ग Pang (Tamang)
Perennial herbs, 4–24 cm. Rhizomes with fleshy adventitious roots, surrounded by collar of persistent fibres; roots ca. 2 mm thick and up to 11 cm. Scape 2.5–20 cm × 0.5–2 mm, longer than leaves; upper part pinkish, wooly-pubescent; longer than leaves, bract like leaves on scape, (0.4–)1–4(–7) cm. Leaves 4–12 with 5–9 prominent veins on underside of lower leaves, (1–) 2.5–16 cm × 0.6–3.5–(5.8) mm. Inflorescence stalk 1–9.5 cm, hairy, pedicel, pubescent, 1–14 mm. Bracts 1(or 2) borne near apex of pedicel, apex obtuse, lower bract 4–17 mm, upper bract 3–7 mm. Flowers 2–21, white to pale pink, yellow to pale orange, 2–6 mm × 2–5 mm. Tepals ovoid to campanulate; apex reflexed, obtuse, enclosing stamens and ovary. Filaments to 2 mm long, attached to tepals, upper filaments free; anthers oblong ovate, 0.4–0.6 mm × 0.2–0.4 mm. Style straight, shorter than stamens, 0.5 mm; stigma capitate, rarely trifid. Capsule ovoid, 4–5 mm. Seeds numerous, curved with longitudinal ridges, 0.9–1 mm × 0.4–0.5 mm, without terminal appendages, yellowish brown.
Distribution: Nepal, W Himalaya, E Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Assam-Burma, S Asia and E Asia.
Altitudinal range: 2400−4600 m.
Ecology: Alpine grassland.
Flowering: June−August. Fruiting: September−October.