Saussurea stella - monocarpic?

[arisaema]

I have a big, fat bud on one of my stellas, is it monocarpic or do they produce offsets?

[Maggi Young]

As far as I know, Sausurea is not monocarpic....

 Saussurea stella Maximowicz, Bull. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint-Petersbourg 27: 490. 1881.

Herbs, stemless, glabrous. Roots dark brown, obconic. Leaves purplish red or near base purplish red or green, concolorous, rosular, stellate, sessile; leaf blade linear-lanceolate, 3--19 X 0.3--1 cm, glabrous, basally ovately dilated, margin entire, apically long acuminate from middle. Inflorescences hemispherical, 4--6 cm in diam. Capitula sessile, numerous, in rosette of leaves. Involucre cylindric, 8--10 mm in diam. Phyllaries in 5 rows, imbricate, abaxially glabrous; outer phyllaries oblong, ca. 9 X 3 mm, margin ciliate, apex rounded; middle phyllaries narrowly oblong, ca. 10 X 5 mm, margin ciliate, apex rounded; inner phyllaries linear, ca. 12 X 3 mm, apex obtuse. Pappus white, in 2 rows; outer pappus ca. 3 mm, scabrous; inner pappus ca. 1.3 cm. Florets purple, ca. 1.7 cm, tube ca. 1.2 cm, limb ca. 5 mm. Achene cylindric, ca. 5 mm, apex with a membranous coronule. Fl. and fr. Jul--Sep.

[Lesley Cox]

The one I had many, many years ago died after one flowering but that was, I'm sure, because I really hadn't a clue what to do with it, not because it was monocarpic.

[arisaema]

Thanks both, and I really hope you're right, Maggi, it's annoying having to wait three years only to have it die after flowering.

[Maggi Young]

I use this paper for "saucy" references...
http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/china/mss/volume21/Asteraceae-CAS-Cardueae-Saussurea_coauthoring.htm


 It mentions the (few) species that are monocarpic and S. stella isn't one of those so I am quietly confident...... and ever the optimist!

 If the above link does not connect, try this : http://archive.today/yIqka