Taraxacum pieninicum Pawłowski (1924: 109)

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 : 17-19

3. Taraxacum pieninicum Pawłowski (1924: 109) .

≡ Taraxacum hoppeanum subsp. pieninicum (Pawłowski) Pawłowski (1931: 211) .

Type:— POLAND. Trzy Korony w Pieninach, skały wapienne tuż obok Okrąglicy [the Pieniny Mts., Trzy Korony Group, calcareous rocks just near Okrąglica], 16 Jun 1922, B. Pawłowski (KRAM, no. det. 2444, lectotype, fide Kirschner & Štěpánek 1985: 127; isotype: KRAM, no. det. 2443) .

= Taraxacum erythrocarpum Kirschner & Štěpánek (1985: 122) .

Type:— SLOVAKIA. Malé Karpaty , in rupibus calcareis in jugo ca. 0.5 km situ orientali a ruina arcis Ostrý kameň, inter pagos Buková et Smolenice [the Malé Karpaty Mts., calcareous rocks in a ridge ca. 0.5 km east of the ruine of the Ostrý Kameň Castle], alt. ca. 660 m, 17 May 1984, J. Kirschner ( PRA, no. det. 3701, holotype; isotypes: PRA, no. det. 3592, 3699, 3700 & 3702)

Illustrations:— Kirschner & Štěpánek (1985: 123, 124, Plate IX); Wróbel et al. (2014: 551); Mirek & Piękoś-Mirkowa (2008: 406); Kirschner et al. (2021: 351, fig. 4, 352, fig. 5, 353, fig. 6).

Exsiccates:—Taraxaca Exs., no. 142, 151 (both as T. erythrocarpum ).

Plants small to medium-sized, sometimes robust, usually (8–) 10–15 cm tall. Petiole most often narrowly winged, pale green to light pinkish-brownish; plant base with tunic. Leaves greyish green, later greyish deep green, sparsely arachnoid to subglabrous, ± oblanceolate in outline, usually 6–13 × (1.5–) 2–2.5 (–3) cm; terminal segment usually broadly triangular, usually 1.5–3 × 1.5–3.5 cm, obtuse to subacute, with distal margin convex to subconvex, entire or with a symmetrical pair of shallow incisions, rarely with a few minute teeth; lateral segments 3–4 (6), triangular to narrowly triangular, usually hamate-recurved, with distal margin convex, usually entire, sometimes with a few minute teeth, apex subobtuse to subacute, proximal margin straight to variously subconcave, entire or with sparse minute teeth; interlobes relatively broad (3–6 mm), short or relatively long (usually to 7–8 mm), often with raised margins, usually with 1–2 short lobules and several little teeth; mid-vein usually pale greenish or slightly suffused pinkishbronze proximally. Scapes irregularly arachnoid, usually suffused purplish at least in proximal part, ± overtopping leaves, distally very often with 1–2 bract-like rudimentary phyllaries. Involucre usually 10–11 mm wide at base at full anthesis. Outer phyllaries 16–19, regularly or slightly irregularly arcuate-patent to arcuate-recurved, narrowly to broadly lanceolate or narrowly triangular, (4–) 5–8 (–9.5) × (2.0–) 2.3–3.5 (–4.2) mm, initially pale green, at least proximally, most often suffused pink, distally often with an indistinct thin darker middle strip, border narrow, ca. 0.2 mm wide, whitish, apex usually ± corniculate; inner phyllaries 10–14 mm long at anthesis, apex ± callose. Capitulum yellow, usually 2–3 cm wide, outer ligules flat, striped light greyish pink outside. Stigmas pure yellow. Anthers polliniferous. Achenes deep brownish red, usually 4.5–5.7 × 1.0– 1.2 mm, body ± densely shortly spinulose in upper 1/3 (sometimes spinulose to tuberculate throughout), subabruptly to subgradually narrowing into narrow, cylindrical cone (1.1–) 1.3–1.5 (–1.6) mm long; beak thin, usually 8–9.5 mm long, pappus ± white, usually 5.5–6.5 mm long.—2n=32 ( Kirschner & Štěpánek 1985, 1992).

Diagnostic notes:—Among the European members of T. sect. Erythrocarpa treated in the present paper, T. pieninicum is very distinct in having outer phyllaries narrow, lanceolate to narrowly triangular, arcuate-recurved, and pure yellow stigmas ( Fig. 6 ). It could be compared with T. striatifolium which is a triploid species with dark stigmas, shorter achenes and some outer phyllaries ovate-lanceolate.

Distribution and ecology:—The novel concept of T. pieninicum involves its distribution in Slovakia and Poland ( Kirschner et al. 2021: 349, fig. 3; Fig. 4 in the present paper). It is known to occur on limestone cliffs and rocky slopes, at medium elevations. Its IUCN conservation status is estimated as VU, in Poland even EN.

Notes on synonymy:—When a publication of the agamospermous tetraploid T. erythrocarpum Kirschner & Štěpánek was prepared ( Kirschner & Štěpánek 1985), only a rather scanty herbarium material of T. pieninicum was available for comparison, the latter species was considered as extinct at that time, and we relied on older experimental data on its sexuality and diploidy. After a rediscovery of T. pieninicum ( Zarzycki et al. 2001, Wróbel 2004), a new study of T. pieninicum was carried out on the basis of a new, verified material from the Pieniny Mts. The study revealed that T. pieninicum is morphologically and biologically identical with T. erythrocarpum (for details, see Kirschner et al. 2021). We therefore treat the names T. pieninicum and T. erythrocarpum as synonyms in the present paper.

Specimens examined:— POLAND: Plants cultivated from the original locality from achenes distributed from Poznań, 1931, G. E. Haglund 41 ( S, no. det. 23442, 23443).—Pieniny, Trzy Korony, Okrąglica, limestone rock crevices, 23 Jun 1954, J. Kornaś ( KRA, herb. Kornaś, no. det. 3234).—Pieniny, Trzy Korony, rock crevices, very uncommon, 960-970 m, 23 May 1926, B. Pawłowski ( KRAM, no. det. 2441, 2446).—Pieniny, Trzy Korony, rocks, K. Piech ( KRAM, no. det. 2442).—Trzy Korony, collected in Botanical Garden of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, raised from achenes, 26 May 1923, B. Pawłowski ( KRAM, no. det. 2445).— SLOVAKIA: Biele Karpaty, Vršatec, a rocky slope below Vršatecké Podhradie, limestone, 16 Jun 1958, J. Futák ( SAV, no. det. 1718).—Biele Karpaty, Vršatec, calcareous rocks, 700 m, J. Suza ( BRNU, no. det. 2284).—Biele Karpaty, Vršatec, 1982, J. Štěpánek, cultivated as JŠ 215 ( PRA, no. det. 2875).—[Biele Karpaty, Vršatec] Vršatské bradlá Nature Reserve, 49°4‘26.624“ N, 18°9‘41.374“ E, 20 Apr 2014, J. Kameníček (photo, no. det. 28934), ibidem: cultivated as JŠ 1074, collected 1987, Taraxaca Exs., no. 142 ( PRA, no. det. 6240).—Velká Fatra, limestone cliffs in the gorge of Gaderská dolina, 1985, J. Sádlo, cultivated as JŠ 1494 ( PRA, no. det. 2874), ibidem: issued as Taraxaca Exsiccata, no. 151 ( PRA, no. det. 6987), ibidem: cultivated as JŠ 2435, collected in 1988 ( PRA, no. det. 6421).—the Malé Karpaty Mts., west of the Ostrý Kameň Castle, limestone rock crevices, 660 m, J. Kirschner, cultivated as JŠ 1074, collected in 1987 ( PRA, no. det. 7368).—The Malé Karpaty Mts., Smolenice, Ostrý kámeň—Burian, calcareous rocks, 450–550 m, 19 May 1937, J. Suza ( BRNU, no. det. 110; PRC, no. det. 36).—The Malé Karpaty Mts., Smolenice, „Padlá Voda“ valley, calcareous rocks, 19 May 1937, J. Suza ( BRNU, no. det. 109; PRC, no. det. 35).—The Strážovské vrchy Mts., Manínska hornatina [Hills], rocks and scree on southern slopes of Mt. M. Manín, 4 May 1976, J. Hadinec ( MP, no. det. 3827).—[The Strážovské vrchy Mts., Manínska hornatina] bottom of Maninská tiesňava [Gorge], 350 m, 12 May 1987, G. Runkovič (herb. G. Runkovič, no. det. 5416).—The Strážovská hornatina Mts., Mt. Vápeč, below the summit, 960 m, 20 Jun 1962, K. Zahradníková ( SAV, no. det. 2483).

Less certain identification:— SLOVAKIA: Biele Karpaty, Babky, rocks, 650 m, 1 Jun 1958, F. Černoch ( BRNM, herb. F. Černoch, no. det. 3762).—Literature record: Slovakia, the Javorníky Mts., village of Udiče, Mt. Klapy [ca. 49°9‘41“N, 18°25‘24“E], see Kliment (1999).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Distribution of species of T. sect. Erythrocarpa. Taraxacum fastuosum (squares), T. adamovicii (star), T. olympophilum (green/dark circles), T. pieninicum (yellow/light circles).

FIGURE 6. Taraxacum pieninicum. A, General habit (PRC, Tarax. Exs., no. 142, cultivated progeny of an isotype of T. erythrocarpum). B, Achenes (PRA, no. det. 7368). Note the differences in the achene spinulosity (the second achene from the left occupies an inner position in the fruiting capitulum). Achenes are more reddish when viewed in daylight.