Spenceria ramalana is the lone species in the plant genus Spenceria,[ S. ramalana grows from 18–32 cm. tall, and puts out yellow from July through August; bearing fruit (yellowish-brown ) from September to October.][ The Chinese language name, ma ti huang 马蹄黄,][ can be translated to mean "yellow horseshoe".]
Etymology
Henry Trimen, both the genus, and binomial authority of Spenceria, and S. ramalana, respectively, gave an explanation of how he arrived at these names: the genus name was given in honour of Trimen's friend, and fellow botanist, Spencer Moore, who was employed at the Kew Herbarium. Trimen thought about choosing a name commemorating the collector of the species, one Captain Gill, Royal Engineers, but decided against it, as there already was a genus Gilia (Polemoniaceae), and he wished to avoid, in his words, "the formation of another of precisely similar sound."[ it is likely that the specific epithet "ramalana" was chosen as a toponymy (the suffix "-ana" meaning "belonging to", hence "from Ra-Ma-La").
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Distribution
Spenceria ramalana is native to Bhutan and China (in the provinces of Sichuan, Tibet, and Yunnan).[
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Habitat
Spenceria ramalana inhabits limestone soil on montane slopes and (elev. 3000–5000 m.)[
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Uses
Both varieties of S. ramalana have been used locally in traditional folk medicine.[
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