Launaea Cass. in G.-F. Cuvier, Dict. Sci. Nat., ed. 2. 25: 321. 1822; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 3: 414. 1882; Collett, Fl. Siml. ed. 2: 288. 1921(Reprint 1980); Shi & Kilian, Fl. China @ eFloras.org 20-21: 238; Whetstone & Brodeur, Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org 19-21: 272.

Perennial herbs, glabrous. Stems erect or decumbent, branching distally, juice yellow. Leaves basal/ radical and cauline. Basal leaves sessile; leaf blade oblong or oblanceolate, pinnatifid or pinnately-lobed, ultimate margins entire or coarsely toothed. Cauline leaves present proximally, few or none, similar to basal leaves but smaller. Capitula ligulate, solitary or in clusters, usually forming more or less interrupted racemes or panicles or spikes. Involucres usually cylindric or urceolate, campanulate or obconic, 3-5 mm diameter. Phyllaries many, in 3-5+ series, unequal, green, margins white membranous, outer short, inner ones long and +/- equal. Receptacle flat, epaleate, naked. All florets ligulate, yellow, 25-30 per capitulum. Corolla limb long, spreading, 5-toothed, yellow. Cypselae greyish, blackish or brownish, narrowly oblong, cylindric to fusiform or +/- prismatic, smooth, ribbed, ribs thick, rounded. Pappus copious, bristles soft, white, faintly scabrid, not plumose, bristles connate at base, caducous.

56 species

Launaea procumbens (Roxb.) Ram. & Raj. Kew Bull. 23: 465. 1969; Sharma & Kachroo, Fl. Jammu (Illustr.) 2: t. 154. 1983; Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur 386. t. 23. 2004; Singh & Sharma, Fl. Chamba Dist. 421. 2006; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 20-21: 239; L. nudicaulis auct. Pl. India non Hook. f., sensu str.; Hook.f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 3: 416. 1882; Collett, Fl. Siml. ed. 2: 288. 1921(Reprint 1980).

Perennial herb, glabrous. Stem up to 70 cm long, divaricately branched, branched from base, procumbent to ascending. Leaves basal/radical and cauline, exstipulate. Basal leaves many, rosulate, spatulate, 5-15 cm x 2-3 cm, sessile, oblong or oblanceolate-oblong, spreading, sinuate-dentate to pinnately lobed, tapering into narrow base; lateral lobes 3-7 pairs, elliptic to triangular, apex rounded to obtuse; terminal lobe lanceolate to elliptic, apex obtuse; margin of leaf or leaf-lobes white cartilaginous, denticulate. Cauline leaves few or none, sessile, subamplexicaul, smaller otherwise similar to basal leaves. Capitula 1-2 cm long and ca. 2 cm across, yellow, on bracteate peduncles, solitary or in clusters, combined into much interrupted divaricately paniculiform synflorescence. Capitula ligulate with 15-20+ florets. Involucre cylindric, 10-12 mm x 3 mm. Phyllaries 4- seriate, glabrous, green with margin broadly white scarious; outer ca. 2 mm long, gradually longer centripetally, oblong or linear-lanceolate. Florets 1.5-2 cm long, bisexual, zygomorphic, ligulate. Corolla; tube short, 6-8 mm long, hairy in upper portion; limb yellow, 0.9-1.2 cm long, 5-toothed, spreading. Cypselae dimorphic, 2-4 mm long, apex pointed or subtruncate; outer cypselae greyish to brown, +/- fusiform, +/- compressed, with 5 main ribs, transversely wrinkled; inner cypselae whitish to greyish or straw-coloured, columnar, with 4 thick soft main ribs, smooth. Pappus hairs copious, 7-8 mm long, simple, connate at base into a ring, caducous with pappus disc.

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