Taraxacum pudilii Štěpánek & Kirschner, 2022

Štěpánek, Jan & Kirschner, Jan, 2022, Taraxacum sect. Erythrocarpa in Europe in the Alps and eastwards: A revision of a precursor group of relicts, Phytotaxa 536 (1), pp. 7-52 : 47

16. Taraxacum pudilii Štěpánek & Kirschner , sp. nov.

Type:— ITALY. J. Štěpánek & P. M. Pudil, Iter Apenninum anno 2017. Italia centralis, regio Abruzzo, prov. Teramo , Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga , Monti della Laga , pagus Rocca S. Maria, locis saxosis in pascuis alpinis ad radices ± orient. montis Pizzo di Moscio (2411 m), ca. 0.5 km situ orientali. a cacumine montis [Abruzzo, Monti della Laga, Rocca S. Maria village, eastern foothills of Mt. Pizzo di Moscio], 2250–2300 m, 42°39.263‘ N, 013°24.704‘ E, 16 Jul 2017 , J. Štěpánek, cultivated as JŠ 10586, collected in 2019 ( PRA, no. det. 35512, holotype; isotypes: PRA, no. det. 35514 and duplicates) .

Etymology:—Named after MUDr. Petr Pudil (born 1948), a Czech plant collector who first discovered this species on the Monti della Laga, and a participant in several botanical expeditions.

Exsiccates:—Taraxaca Exs., no. 1289.

Diagnosis:—Differt a speciebus ceteris sectionis Erythrospemorum et Erythrocarporum europaeis lobis foliorum numerosis, phyllariis exterioribus numerosis (numero 17–22), laxe adpressis, imbricatis, plerumque ovatis, late pallide marginatis, stria mediana atroviridi, antheris polline carentibus, necnon acheniis ± brevibus rubro-brunneis, cinnamomeis usque brunneis, densissime breviter spinulosis, corpore in pyramidem subcylindricam usque subconicam 0.5–0.8 mm longam subabrupte transeunte.

Plants small, not slender, 5–11 cm tall. Plant base with (a weak) tunic, densely brownish arachnoid. Leaves prostrate to erect-patent, deep green, arachnoid, later glabrescent, narrowly oblanceolate, oblanceolate or narrowly elliptical in outline, usually 3–9 cm long, 1–2.3 cm wide, pinnatisect; terminal segment relatively small, 6–9 mm long, 9–15 mm wide, broadly triangular, usually trilobed with basal lobules patent, triangular to narrowly triangular, acute, distal margin concave to sigmoid, entire, proximal margin subconvex, ± straight to subconcave, entire or with a little broad tooth near the base, distal lobe broadly to narrowly lingulate, ± acute; lateral segments 4–6 pairs, ± recurved, deltoid to narrowly deltoid, sometimes abruptly constricted from a broad base and with a wider lingulate distal part, distal margin sigmoid to ± convex, entire, proximal margin ± straight or slightly convex or concave, entire or with a single, relatively large tooth near the base; interlobes short and broad, usually 1–6 mm long, 3–5 mm wide, surface and margins green, raised, entire or with a single larger or two smaller teeth; mid-vein pale greenish or faintly suffused brownish to brownish purple; petiole broadly winged in outer leaves, narrowly winged or unwinged in the inner ones, pale greenish or adaxially sometimes faintly suffused brownish-purplish. Scapes brownish to light bronze, ± densely arachnoid, subequalling or ± overtopping leaves. Capitulum 2–3 cm wide, often imperfectly open, flat to concave, deep yellow. Involucre dark green to bluish green, short and broad, rounded to truncate and 8–11 mm wide at base. Outer phyllaries numerous, 17–22, loosely appressed, imbricate, ovate to lanceolate, (4–) 5–6 mm long, (2–) 3–4 mm wide, with an elongated apex, reaching 1/5–3/5 of the inner phyllaries, with ± contrasting colours, with a dark, blackish green middle strip 1–2 mm wide, with a gradual transition into a pale greenish to whitish green border, to 1.5 mm wide proximally, margin membranous, (0.1–) 0.2–0.3 mm wide, densely (short) ciliate, distal part of phyllary suffused purple or reddish purple, apex flat or indistinctly corniculate; inner phyllaries 10–11 mm long, variably broad. Outer ligules ± flat, broad and slightly narrowed distally, abaxial strip dark grey-olivaceous and suffused dark purple, apical teeth black-purple, inner ligule teeth reddish to dark yellow. Stigmas light discoloured, dirty yellow to greenish yellow, with a pubescence of apically dark hairs outside. Pollen absent. Achenes medium dark red-brown to dark cinnamon-brown, rusty brown to medium brown, (3.6–) 4.0– 4.3 mm long, 1.0– 1.1 mm wide, body with dense short and broad spinules and tricuspidate squamules, otherwise tuberculate to almost smooth, body subabruptly narrowing into a thin subcylindrical to subconical cone (0.5–) 0.7–0.8 mm long; beak 6–8 mm long; pappus yellowish, ca. 5 mm long.—Agamosperm.

Diagnostic notes:— Taraxacum pudilii is a distinct species characterized by the absence of pollen, leaves with numerous, ± patent lateral segments, outer phyllaries loosely appressed, with a contrasting pattern of black-green median strip 1–2 mm wide and a pale greenish to whitish border to 1.5 mm wide, variously red-brown, cinnamon to medium brown achenes with cone only 0.5–0.8 mm long ( Fig. 26 , 27).

Distribution and ecology:—Known from a single macrolocality formed by stony slopes with an open vegetation with sheep grazing, substrate of fine sandstone, in the vicinity of Rocca S. Maria village, the Monti della Laga. It is considered as an endemic taxon confined to the Abruzzo Province ( Fig. 2 ). Its IUCN conservation status is estimated as VU.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Distribution of species of T. sect. Erythrocarpa. Taraxacum pseudohoppenum (empty circles), T. janchenii (black pentagons), T. aquilinum (stars), T. pudilii (square), T. greuteri (diamonds).

FIGURE 26. Achenes and outer phyllaries of Taraxacum adamovicii (A) and T. pudilii (B). Scale bar = 1 mm.