Taraxacum assemanii C.I.Blanche ex Boissier (1875: 791)

Kirschner, Jan, Štěpánek, Jan, Doostmohammadi, Moslem & Zeisek, Vojtěch, 2021, Taraxacum assemanii represents a new section: A revision of the misinterpreted Taraxacum primigenium, and the elucidation of the enigmatic Taraxacum section Primigenia (Compositae, Crepidinae), Phytotaxa 520 (2), pp. 117-136 : 126-130

2. Taraxacum assemanii C.I.Blanche ex Boissier (1875: 791) .

Type:—[ TURKEY]. Tauri alpes “Bulgar Dagh” [Bolkar Dağları], ad radices summi Metdesis [Medetsiz Dağı, Toros Dağları], 9000 ft., 28 Jul 1853, T. Kotschy 152c (G-BOISS, no. det. 18812, lectotype, designated here) .

Etymology:—Named after Giuseppe Simone Assemani (1687, Hasroun – 1768, Rome), a famous Lebanese orientalist and Maronite Eparch.

Note 1:—There was a single attempt to typify the name T. assemanii . Van Soest (1975: 794) quoted the following text as a reference to the type specimen: “[ Lebanon] ad fontes et rivulos supra Dimam et ad Hasram [sic!, correctly Hasrun or Hasroun], Blanche (holo. G, iso. JE!)”. This text, with the exception of the printing error, perfectly matches that given in the list of syntypes by Boissier (loc. cit.). However, in G-BOISS or G (or P), there is no specimen with that label text, and the type citation is in fact a reference to two or three different gatherings: “... au-dessus de Dimam”, 12 Sep 1864, I. Blanche 3503bis (G-BOISS, no. det. 18811), “á la sources des eaux de Hasroun”, 5 Sep 1864, I. Blanche 3503 (G-BOISS, no. det. 18807), I. Blanche 3503bis (G-BOISS, no. det. 18810). These gatherings were collected on several different dates, with different numbers (but see Note 2). We conclude that van Soest (loc. cit.) failed to typify the name T. assemanii , nor is his choice of specimens binding for the effective lectotypification ( Turland et al. 2018, Art. 9.3 & 8.2).

Note 2:—The above dandelion gatherings collected by C. I. Blanche are numbered (3503, 3503bis). These numbers, however, may not refer to gatherings but, in all likelihood, to species numbering in the herbarium of I. Blanche.

= Taraxacum primigeniforme van Soest (1966: 364) .

Type:—[ TURKEY]. Région alpine du Taurus, au-dessus de Boulgarmaden, Jul 1855, B . Balansa, Pl. d‘Orient, 1855, no. 644 ( K, no. det. 8822, holotype, see also the Note below; isotypes: BM, no. det 17923; K, no. det. 8823; ZT, no. det. 24436; G, no. det. 30405); FI 6724 !; S 13-6904 !; S 13-6905 !).

Note:—In the protologue, van Soest (1966: 364) designated the BM specimen of the exsiccate gathering Balansa 644 as the holotype, and the G, K and S specimens were listed as isotypes. However, in the Kew herbarium one of the specimens was annotated as „Typus“ by van Soest (with important notes corresponding to the published text), while the BM specimen was not annotated by him at all. We therefore treat the type indication at BM as a mistake and, correspondingly, give the K specimen as the holotype. The synonymization of T. primigeniforme with T. assemanii was proposed by van Soest (1975), and the results of our study are in good agreement with the latter work.

Plants small, usually to 1–5 cm tall (often their development strongly influenced by grazing). Petiole narrow, unwinged but dilated at the very base, ± glabrous, pale green; plant base without tunic, with subdense, yellowishbrownish arachnoid hairs. Leaves probably light green, with pale green or pinkish mid-vein, usually spathulateoblanceolate in outline, usually 2–5.5 × 0.7–1.3 cm, ± glabrous, pinnatipartite to pinnatisect, lateral segments 5–7 pairs, slightly recurved, acute, bigger ones usually 4–6 mm long, usually 3–5 mm wide at base, usually entire, approximated; interlobes very short, entire; terminal segment acute, triangular to broadly triangular, entire. Scapes 2–5 cm long, arachnoid, more densely so just below capitulum. Capitulum yellow, to ca. 1.5 cm in diameter. Involucre narrow, cylindrical, 2–3 mm wide and usually subobconical at base. Outer phyllaries 9–11, reaching 2/5 of the inner, appressed, subimbricate, narrowly lanceolate, usually (2.6–) 3.0–3.5 (–4.0) × 0.8–1.2 (–1.5) mm, probably lighter green, with a darker middle strip 0.1–0.2 (–0.4) mm wide, with a ± gradual transition into a narrow whitish border 0.1–0.2 mm wide, margin usually sparsely ciliate near the apex or glabrous; apex dark, ± callose; inner phyllaries ca. 7–9, usually (7–) 8–10 (–12) mm long, apex ± flat. Outer ligules ± flat to cucullate-canaliculate, striped pinkish-greyish outside. Stigmas yellow; anthers polliniferous, pollen grains regular (i.e., of ± the same size). Achenes (4.5–) 4.8–5.3 × (0.7–) 0.8–0.9 (–1.0) mm, relatively slender, usually gradually narrowing from the central part towards both ends, body longitudinally ridged, usually smooth or sometimes with very sparsely and remotely scattered minute tubercles or low, minute spinules, in most cases the cone is totally indistinct, or the body – cone transition is very gradual; the transition between achene body and beak usually is so indistinct that it is difficult to distinguish the body, cone and beak; if cone is discernible, then it is broadly conical, 0.3–0.7 mm long, 0.3–0.6 mm thick, beak, when distinguishable, usually 0.3–0.5 (–1.3) mm long, usually 0.3–0.5 mm thick; pappus ± brownish-yellow or yellowish, 3.5–5 mm long ( Fig. 6 ). – Sexual (the ploidy level remains unknown).

A note on the variation:— Taraxacum assemanii is not a very variable species, although variability might have been expected as a consequence of its sexuality, a disjunct distribution and a small size of local populations. Figure 6 shows the variation range of achenes; they nevertheless retain all the basic features summarized in the above description. The character of achenes is substantially different from that of T. primigenium .

Distribution and ecology:—This species is known to occur in the mountains of the southeastern Anatolia, Turkey, in the southwestern Iran and in mountains of Lebanon. We have not studied T. assemanii in the field and we infer its habitat from rather scanty data on herbarium labels. The habitat is mostly described as wet meadows, vicinity of snowbeds, mountain springs etc.; we conclude that T. assemanii is a species of permanently wet sites at high elevations, sites with a very low salinity.

Specimens examined:— TURKEY. Mt. Anemas , 9000 [ft.], 18 Aug 1845, T. Heldreich (G-BOISS, no. det. 18803). – In herbidis humidis montis Anemas, 5000 [ft.], Aug 1845, T. Heldreich ( ZT, no. det. 24504; G, no. det. 22573, 18867; P!). – Région alpine du Taurus, au-dessus de Boulgarmaden, Jul 1855, B. Balansa, Pl. d’Orient, no. 644 ( ZT, no. det. 24436; G, no. det. 30405; G, no. det. 31022; JE, no. det. 30221). – Tauri alpes “Bulgar Dagh”, ad radices summi Metdesis, 9000 ft., 28 Jul, 1853, T. Kotschy 152c (G-BOISS, no. det. 18812) . – IRAN. Persica [sic!] austrooccidentalis, ad nives mt. Subsekuh, Kellal, Sep 1868, C. Haussknecht (G-BOISS, no. det. 18804) . – LEBANON. Bords des ruisseaux d’irrigation sur les hauts plateaux cultivées, au-dessus de Dimam, 12 Sep 1864, C. I. Blanche 3503bis (G-BOISS, no. det. 18811). – Autour des maisons à Dimam, Sep 1864, C. I. Blanche 3497bis ( P 733034 !). – á la source des eaux de Hasroun, 5 Sep 1864, C. I. Blanche 3503bis (G-BOISS, no. det. 18810). – á la source des eaux de Hasroun, 5 Sep 1864, C. I. Blanche 3503 (G-BOISS, no. det. 18807); C. I. Blanche 3497 ( P 733035 !). – Liban, de Hasroun, Sep 1864, C. I. Blanche s.n. ( JE, no. det. 30195). – In Libano ad Bscherre et circa Cedretum, in summis Makmel, 8500 ft., 23 Jul 1855, T. Kotschy 295 (G-BOISS, no. det. 18806; P 733032 !). – Haut Liban, à Dahr el Kadib, col des cedres, 17 Sep 1864, I. Blanche 3511 (G-BOISS, no. det. 18808). – Haut Liban, à Dahr el Kadib, 7 Sep 1864, I. Blanche 848 ( JE, no. det. 30200). – Ht. Liban, sur le Karnot Essavda [Qurnat as Savda’, 34°18′00″N 36°07′00″E], (le plus haut sommet de toute le chaine), 3000 m, 16 Sep 1876, I. Blanche 32 (G-BOISS, no. det. 18809). – Hawarin, 10 Aug 1931, P. Mouterde 375 ( G, no. det. 22577). – Vers Aïn Sannin, 3 Aug 1933, P. Mouterde ( G, no. det. 22578, 22574). – Entre J. Sannin et J. [Jebel] Kneysseh, 1800-1900 m, 22 Jul 1936, P. Mouterde ( G, no. det. 22580). – Monte Sannin, 14 Aug 1887, E. Peyron, Fl. Syriaca Exs., no. 1621 ( G, no. det. 22583). – Vers Aïn Sannin, Jul 1936, P. Mouterde 5587 ( G, no. det. 22579). – Khan Sannine, 30 Sep 1950, P. Mouterde ( G, no. det. 22576). – Vers Amoria, 6 Jul 1936, P. Mouterde ( G, no. det. 22575). – Sous l’Hermon, vers 2200 m, 10 Jul 1951, H. Pabot ( G, no. det. 22581) .

Note:—At several localities in Lebanon, T. assemanii grows in the vicinity of, or at least in the same area as, T. stenocephalum . The most important macrolocalities with T. stenocephalum (and a relatively close occurrence of T. assemanii ): Taraxacum stenocephalum Boiss. subsp. stenocephalum :— IRAN. Persica [sic!] austro-occidentalis, ad nives mt. Subsekuh, Kellal, Sep 1868, C. Haussknecht (JE, no. det. 30198). – LEBANON. Au dessus de Bem, 15 Sep 1864, C. I. Blanche (JE!). – à la sources des eaux de Hasroun, Sep 1864, C. I. Blanche 3503 (JE!). – Bords des ruisseaux d’irrigation sur les hauts plateaux cultivées, qui dominant Dimam, C. I. Blanche 3503bis (JE, no. det. 30194).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Taraxacum assemanii. Achenes: A, Khan Sannine (G, no. det. 22576). B, Aïn Sannin (G, no. det. 22579). C, Hasroun (G- BOISS, no. det. 18810). A, B, C—Lebanon. D, Metdesis (G-BOISS, no. det. 18812, lectotype). E, Boulgarmaden (G, no. det. 30405). F, Anemas (G-BOISS, no. det. 18803). Flower head: G, Metdesis (G-BOISS, no. det. 18812, lectotype). D, E, F, G—Turkey. Scale bars = 1 mm.