A squat, woolly snow lotus of the highest scree, long used in Tibetan medicine and now collected heavily.
- Group: Plant
- Plant type: Cushion and scree
- Habitats: Scree, rocky slopes
- Regions: Ü Tsang, Kham, Amdo
Habitat and distribution
Rocky slopes and alpine scree at 3,000–5,600 m (Flora of China), across the plateau from Amdo and Kham to central Tibet.
Recorded in Ü-Tsang, Kham, Amdo.
Ecological and cultural significance
A slow-growing plant that may take five to seven years to form its single flower head; many plants die after flowering (Guo et al. 2025).
Threats
Over-harvesting for medicine and the plant trade, habitat loss and climate warming have reduced populations (Guo et al. 2025). Law and Salick found it less intensely collected than the snow lotus S. laniceps.
Conservation
Not assessed by the IUCN Red List (no assessment found). Chinese authorities list it as a second-class protected plant (Guo et al. 2025).