2.1. Circaea alpina Linnaeus (1753: 9) .

Lectotype (designated by Boufford 1982):— Herb. Linn. No. 25.2 (LINN digital image).

Distribution: —U Yarlung Zangbo, M Yarlung Zangbo, L Yarlung Zangbo, Yarlung Zangbo-Brahmaputra, S Hengduan, N Hengduan, also widely distributed in Eurasia and North America.

Note: — Circaea alpina has six subspecies widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere (Boufford 1982). Three of them are found in the Pan-Himalaya region.

Key to subspecies of Circaea alpina in the Pan-Himalaya region

1 Leaves thin, pale green, translucent; ovary glabrous at anthesis..................................................... 2.1c. C. alpina subsp. micrantha

- Leaves thick, deep green or reddish; ovary pubescent with hooked hairs at anthesis........................................................................2

2 Apical notch 1/4–1/2 length of petal; uncinate hairs of fruit unpigmented........................................2.1a. C. alpina subsp. imaicola

- Apical notch 1/5–1/3 length of petal; uncinate hairs of fruit containing purple pigment .............2.1b. C. alpina subsp. angustifolia