Taraxacum ferum Štěpánek & Kirschner, 2022

Štěpánek, Jan & Kirschner, Jan, 2022, A hotspot of endemism: Oreophytic Taraxacum species (Compositae, Crepidinae) in the mountains of Bulgaria, Phytotaxa 569 (1), pp. 1-139 : 54-57

. Taraxacum ferum Štěpánek & Kirschner , sp. nov.

Type:— Bulgaria, montes Pirin [by mistake, Rila is given on the original label], in monte Vichren, ca. 2300 m, 13 Aug 1982, H. Barešová, cultivated as JŠ 1001, collected in 1987 ( PRA, no. det. 35759, holotype; isotype: PRA, no. det. 27686, and duplicates) .

Etymology:—Wild, savage, fierce (from Latin ferus).

Exsiccates:— Taraxaca Exs., no. 1258–1262.

Diagnosis:—Plantae ex affinitate Taraxaci bulgarici, differunt foliis saturate obscure viridibus superne inconspicue minute maculatis, phyllariis exterioribus numerosioribus, acheniis pallide brunneo-cinerascentibus vel pallide fulvo-brunnescentibus et pyramide plerumque cylindrica crassiuscula.

Plants small to medium-sized, 6–13 cm tall. Plant base without tunic, with sparse whitish hairs among petiole bases. Petiole pale green, ± glabrous, broadly to narrowly winged, 1.5–3 cm long. Leaves numerous in compact rosettes, ± tightly appressed to the ground, dark green, minutely, not very distinctly spotted adaxially, glabrous (inner leaves very sparsely arachnoid), oblanceolate to spatulate in outline, usually 5–9 × 1.5–3 cm, pinnatisect, with numerous narrow segments; terminal segment conspicuously short, very flat rhombic to flat helmet-shaped, rarely flat pentagonal, usually 0.5–1.0 (–1.5) × 1.5–2 cm, very obtusely acute, sometimes acute, often with a short triangular mucro, distal margin sigmoid to concave, entire, basal lobules patent, proximal margin ± straight to subconvex, entire, slightly raised at base; lateral segments in (3) 4–5 pairs, usually bird-wing-shaped, usually 6–15 mm long, 4–7 mm wide at base, in the middle usually narrowed into a lingulate distal part 2–3 mm wide, distal part patent, recurved or bent forwards, apex acute to acuminate, distal margin sigmoid or ± straight to subconvex, entire or with a deep incision dividing it into unequal narrow lobules, sometimes with 1–2 narrow teeth at base, proximal margin convex to subconcave, entire or with a single basal tooth; interlobes usually short, usually 2–8 × 2–5 mm, usually green, sometimes slightly striate brown-purple near the mid-vein, entire or sometimes with a single long and narrow tooth, often with raised margins; mid-vein green or suffused brownish-purplish. Scapes pale green, distally getting purplish after anthesis, very sparsely arachnoid, shorter than, or equalling leaf length. Capitulum deep yellow, ca. 3 cm wide, ± flat to concave. Involucre pruinose, broadly obconical and 8–9 mm wide at base. Outer phyllaries 13–18, tightly appressed at the base, more distally loosely appressed, apex erect, ± imbricate, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate (the innermost to narrowly lanceolate), usually 5–7 × (1.5–) 3–3.5 mm, reaching 1/3–1/2 of inner phyllaries, adaxially light greenish grey, often suffused bluish purple, abaxially olivaceous-green to dark so (almost black when dry), ± evenly coloured (but often with a darker thin middle line), with an abrupt transition in a whitish-membranous to purplish border 0.05–0.25 mm wide, margin irregularly minutely ciliate, apex often callose; inner phyllaries 13–14 mm long, of ± equal width. Outer ligules flat, striped purplish grey-green outside, apical teeth black to black-purple, inner ligules ± canaliculate, their apical teeth purplish to dark yellow. Stigmas long, medium dark discoloured, greyish green, with greyish pubescence outside. Pollen abundant, pollen grains irregular in size. Achenes light greyish brown to light beige-brown, long and ± slender, 4.6–5.6 × 0.8–1.0 mm, body with ± sparse erect-patent squamules, spinules and comb-like squamules in upper 1/6–1/5, otherwise ± smooth, subabruptly to subgradually narrowing into a thick subcylindrical to cylindrical cone (0.4–) 0.5–0.8 (–1.0) × ca. 0.4 mm, beak thin, 6.5–7.5 mm long, pappus whitish, 5.5–6.5 mm long. – Agamosperm. – Hexaploid, 2n = 48 (counted in 1986 by J. Štěpánek under no. 202/86, on PRA, no. det. 27685). – Fig. 25, 26, 27A.

Diagnostic notes:—The most conspicuous feature of T. ferum is the light beige-brown achene colour. It is ± similar to T. bulgaricum but differs from it in the darker leaf colour, more numerous outer phyllaries, and the achene size and colour. From T. saevum , it differs primarily in darker stigmas and substantially smaller achenes.

Distribution and habitat:—Mosaic-like, sparse alpine grasslands, sometimes descending to subalpine belt at ± synanthropic sites, usually between 2200 and 2600 m. It is restricted to the alpine Pirin, Bulgaria. Its IUCN conservation status is estimated as NT.

Specimens examined:— BULGARIA. Bansko, Banderica valley , between Vichrenski preslap [pass] and the southern foot of Mt. Vichren (2914 m), ca. 2550–2600 m, 41° 45–46’ N, ca. 23° 24’ E, 9 Aug 1997, J. Štěpánek, J. Kirschner & B. Trávníček, cultivated as JŠ 9313 ( PRA, no. det. 27690) ; Ibidem, JŠ 6299/ A ( PRA, no. det. 27689, 27753) ; Ibidem, JŠ 9314 ( PRA, no. det. 27752) ; Ibidem, JŠ 9315 ( PRA, no. det. 27751). – Bansko, Banderica valley, W. slope below the ridge of the Vlachinski preval [pass], ca. 2500 m, ca. 41° 45’ N, ca. 23° 24’ E, 9 Aug 1997, J. Štěpánek, cultivated as JŠ 6514 ( PRA, no. det. 27688) ; Ibidem, JŠ 6516 ( PRA, no. det. 27687). – Pirin , Mt. Vichren, ca. 2300 m, 13 Aug 1982, H. Barešová, cultivated as JŠ 1001 ( PRA, no. det. 35759, 27686, 27685). – Pirin, open woodlands along a path below the Demjanica Chalet , 2200 m, 8 Aug 1997, B. Trávníček, cultivated as JK 4340 ( PRA, no. det. 35949) .

Note:—A population of very similar plants was found at lower elevations of the Demjanica Valley, Pirin, at about 1800–1850 m (cultivation JŠ 9301, PRA, no. det. 36141). These plants differ from T. ferum in having usually a large terminal leaf segment, purple petiole and mid-vein, broader, often ovate outer phyllaries, and thicker, light brown to mid-brown achenes with prominent longitudinal ribs, and achene body with a ± abrupt transition into a thin cylindrical to subcylindrical cone 1.1–1.5 mm long. These plants require a further study.