Type:— CHINA. Xizang: Nangxian County, Jindong Xiang, Laiyi, alpine scree, 28°51 ʹ N, 93°21 ʹ E, 4830 m, 10 September 2012, FLPH Tibet Expedition 12-1087 (holotype PE; isotype PE).

Herbs perennial, 10–16 cm tall. Caudex simple or fewly branched. Stems solitary or several, 5–6 mm in diameter, erect, simple, densely white sericeous-villous. Rosette and lower stem leaves petiolate; petioles up to 2 cm long, densely white villous; leaf blade obovate to oblong, 3.5–7 cm long, 0.9–2.8 cm wide, both surfaces grayish green, white sericeous-villous, densely so especially along veins, base usually attenuate, margin subentire to shallowly sinuatedenticulate, apex obtuse. Middle and upper stem leaves sessile, ovate to obovate or boat-shaped, 5–6.5 cm long, 1–2 cm wide, both surfaces grayish green, base semiamplexicaul, margin entire, apex obtuse. Uppermost stem leaves boat-shaped, 2.5–5 cm long, 1.5–2.2 cm wide, both surfaces purplish red, membranous, half-enclosing capitula. Capitula solitary. Involucre obconic, 3.5–4 cm in diameter, 2.5–2.8 cm high. Phyllaries in 4–5 rows, blackish brown, white sericeous-villous, apex acuminate; outer phyllaries narrowly triangular-ovate, 13–15 mm long, 4–5 mm wide; middle phyllaries narrowly elliptic, 15–17 mm long, 2–3 mm wide; inner phyllaries linear, 19–20 mm long, ca. 1.5 mm wide. Receptacle bristles ca. 5 mm long. Corolla purple, 16–17 mm long, tube 8–9 mm long, throat 3.5–4 mm long, lobes 4–4.5 mm long. Achenes cylindroid, blackish, ca. 5 mm long, ribbed, glabrous. Pappus yellowish white; outer bristles 2–5 mm long, scabrid; inner bristles ca. 12 mm long, plumose.

Distribution and habitat:— Saussurea jindongensis is currently known only from its type locality in southern Xizang. It grows in alpine scree at an altitude of ca. 4830 m.

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting from August to September.

Etymology:—The specific epithet is derived from its type locality, Jindong Xiang. Chinese name: ḔṪǞfi.

Discussion:— Saussurea jindongensis belongs to S. subgen. Amphilaena because of its capitula half-enclosed by purple membranous upper leaves, and its leaves undivided. It is similar to S. polycolea Handel-Mazzetti (1937: 654) in its habit, capitula solitary, leaf shape, pappus color and length, but differs by its stem stout (vs. slender), membranous upper leaves half-enclosing capitula (vs. subtending capitula), involucre 3.5–4 cm in diameter (vs. 1–2.5 cm in diameter), and plant densely white villous (vs. sparsely pubescent). It is also similar to S. uniflora (Candolle 1838: 539) Wallich ex Schultz Bipontinus (1846: 330) in its stout stem, membranous upper leaves half-enclosing capitula, capitula size, and pappus color and length, but differs by its stem and leaves densely white sericeous-villous (vs. sparsely pubescent to glabrescent), and leaf apex obtuse (vs. acuminate). A comparison of S. jindongensis with related species is given in Table 5.

Our molecular tree shows that Saussurea langpoensis Chen (2014c: 193), S. bracteata Decaisne (1844: 94) and S. obvallata (Candolle 1838: 541) Schultz Bipontinus (1846: 331) are somewhat weakly related to S. jindongensis, while S. polycolea and S. uniflora are not closely related to S. jindongensis.