Plumbaginaceae

L. vanense Kit Tan & Sorger in Notes R.B.G. Edinb. 41:533, t. 3 (1984). (Sect. Limonium).
Perennial herb, 25-30 cm, base clad with petiolar remains. Leaves in a basal rosette, entire, elliptic to oblong-obovate, 3-6 x 0.7-1.5 cm, tapering into a narrow petiole, coriaceous, apiculate, green with narrow hyaline margin, glabrous. Scapes terete, branching above middle, paniculate, lacking sterile branches in lower part, glabrous, green or upper part suffused purple. Spikes rather short, to 2 cm, subscorpioid. Spikelets 4-5 mm, 1-2-flowered. Bracts glabrous, greenish flushed magenta. Outer bract keeled, broadly ovate, 1.8 mm, upper part hyaline, mucronate; first inner bract concave, 2-2.2 mm, + hyaline; second inner bract obovate-orbicular, 2-2.5 mm, concave, emarginate, scarious-margined; innermost bract membranous-hyaline. Calyx obconical to infundibular, 4.5 mm, pale lilac; tube straight, pilose on veins in lower part; limb shallowly 5-10-lobed, primary lobes rounded, obtuse to subacute. Petals bluish-violet. Anthers oblong, 0.7-1 mm, yellow. Fl. 7. Wet depressions, c. 2200 m.
Type: Turkey B9 Van: 3 km S.W. of Çaldıran, wet depressions, 2200 m, 12 vii 1981, F. Sorger 81-39-5 (holo. E! iso. Hb. Sorger!).
E. Anatolia. B9 Van: 2 km S.W. of Çaldiran, 2200 m, Sorger & Buchner 82-60-20!
Endemic. Ir.-Tur. element. Allied to L. gmelinii (Willd.) O. Kuntze [7:468] but with much smaller leaves, second inner bract and calyx.