Altai valerian

Family Valerianaceae. Siberia, N. Mongolia. In the high-mountain belt and adjacent forest belt on alpine and subalpine meadows, in high-mountain tundras, on damp rocks, cliffs, open slopes, in dwarf-shrub thickets, in sparse forests.

Rhizome more or less elongated, up to 4(7) cm long, with long filiform rootlets. Stems of валерианы алтайской erect, 25-80 cm tall, glabrous or nearly glabrous, only at the nodes and sometimes in the lower part pubescent with short hairs. Basal leaves entire or with 1 (2) pairs of lateral segments and a large terminal lobe, usually withering; stem leaves lyrately pinnatisect, with 2-4 pairs of lanceolate, ovate-elongate, more rarely ovate segments, margins more or less toothed, less often nearly entire. Inflorescence capitulate, sometimes slightly branched and with 1-2 additional smaller heads, becoming corymbose-paniculate in fruit. Bracts linear, long, glabrous. Flowers light pink, narrowly funnel-shaped, 4-5 mm long. Fruits purple, glabrous.