Crucihimalaya mollissima (C. A. Mey.) Al-Shehbaz, O'Kane & R. A. Price

The records of Crucihimalaya mollissima in FRPS (as Arabidopsis mollissima) from Sichuan and Yunnan are based on misidentified plants of C. himalaica.

Herbs perennial, (5-)10-40(-60) cm tall. Stems erect, simple or few to many branched at base, densely pubescent, with short-stalked, stellate trichomes, often basally hirsute with horizontal simple or forked trichomes to 1.8 mm, rarely glabrous or glabrescent. Basal leaves rosulate, petiolate, often remaining throughout growing season; petiole (0.2-)0.5-1.7(-3) cm, often ciliate, base persistent; leaf blade spatulate, oblanceolate, or oblong, (0.6-)1-2.5(-5) cm × 2-8(-15) mm, finely stellate pubescent, margin coarsely dentate or rarely subentire, apex obtuse. Middle cauline leaves ovate or narrowly oblong or lanceolate, sessile, 0.7-2.5(-4) cm × 2-7(-10) mm, finely stellate pubescent or rarely glabrescent, base sagittate or amplexicaul, margin entire or rarely repand or dentate, apex acute. Racemes ebracteate. Fruiting pedicels slender, stellate pubescent laterally and abaxially, glabrous adaxially, divaricate, (3-)4-10(-16) mm. Sepals often pink, oblong, 2-2.5 × 0.8-1 mm, densely pubescent, sometimes narrowly membranous. Petals white or pink, spatulate, 3-4.5 × 0.9-1.1(-1.5) mm, attenuate to base; claw to 1 mm. Filaments 2.5-3 mm; anthers oblong, 0.4-0.6 mm. Ovules 70-120 per ovary. Fruit linear, terete, straight or often slightly curved, erect or ascending or rarely divaricate, (1.2-)2.5-3.5(-5) cm × 1-1.5 mm; valves glabrous, with a prominent midvein; style (0.1-)0.4-0.7(-1) mm. Seeds brown, oblong, 0.8-1.1 × 0.3-0.5 mm. Fl. Jun-Aug, fr. Jul-Aug. 2n = 16.

Gansu, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang [Afghanistan, India, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia (Siberia), Tajikistan].

Open slopes, grassy meadows; 2600-4400 m.

Sisymbrium mollissimum C. A. Meyer in Ledebour, Fl. Altaic. 3: 140. 1831; Arabidopsis mollissima (C. A. Meyer) N. Busch; A. mollissima var. dentata O. E. Schulz; A. mollissima var. glaberrima (J. D. Hooker & Thomson) O. E. Schulz; A. mollissima var. pamirica (Korshinsky) O. E. Schulz; A. mollissima var. thomsonii (J. D. Hooker) O. E. Schulz; Hesperis mollissima (C. A. Meyer) Kuntze; Sisymbrium mollissimum C. A. Meyer f. pamiricum Korshinsky; S. thomsonii J. D. Hooker; Stenophragma mollissimum (C. A. Meyer) B. Fedtschenko.