Taraxacum persquamulosum Kirschner & Štěpánek, 2017

Kirschner, Jan, Štěpánek, Jan & Zeisek, Vojtěch, 2017, Taraxacum sect. Orientalia (Compositae-Crepidinae) and the West Himalayan dandelions: A new interpretation, Phytotaxa 312 (1), pp. 1-27 : 13-15

2. Taraxacum persquamulosum Kirschner & Štěpánek , sp. nov. ( Figure 7.)

Type:— PAKISTAN. N. Pakistan, Iter Karakorumense II (1991), Hunza Valley, Rakaposhi N. flank, above Nilt, 36º12’14”N, 74º26’E, 3950–3970 m, relatively humid alpine Cyperaceae mats dominated by Carex and Kobresia spp. on alpine turf, veg. rec. 670–671, G. Miehe & S. Miehe 6527 (holotype: herb. Miehe, no. det. 28129).

Etymology.—Very conspicuously squamulose.

Diagnosis:—Plantae agamospermae tenues foliis linearibus vel lineari-oblanceolatis acutis indivisis, saepissime integris, involucro ad basin turbinato vel subturbinato phyllariis exterioribus paucis (6–10) adpressis, linearibus vel lineari-triangularibus usque ad lineari-lanceolatis, late albo-marginatis, floribus luteis stigmatibus saturate viridibus vel nigrescentibus, antheris polliniferis, acheniis maturescentibus ochraceis, maturis aurantiaco-rubentibus vel cinnamomeo-aurantiacis, corpore superne subsparse squamuloso, pyramide subconica, 0.9–1.2 mm longa.

Plants slender, to 18 cm tall. Petiole dirty purplish to dirty greenish brown, long, narrow, unwinged, plant base ± glabrous; leaves mid-green, linear or linear-oblanceolate, ± acute, usually 6–10 cm × 5–9 mm, usually undivided and often entire, sometimes with 2–3 pairs of acute patent teeth 1–2 mm long, less often with a large terminal segment and 1–3 pairs of patent, linear, acute lobules 2–4 mm long. Scapes brown-green, usually overtopping leaves, sparsely aranose, densely so below capitulum. Capitulum 2–3 cm wide. Involucre 5–6 mm wide, turbinate to slightly rounded-obconical. Outer phyllaries 6–10, unequal but not imbricate, appressed, linear to linear-triangular or linear-lanceolate, (3.5–) 5–7 (–9) × (1.2–) 1.5–1.8 (–2.1) mm, with a narrow to broad black middle strip and a ± white border 0.3–0.5 mm wide, margins glabrous or sparsely ciliate near apex, apex flat to callose; inner phyllaries blackish green, 12–17 mm long, flat. Ligules yellow, outer ligules ± flat, striped light grey to grey outside, inner ligule teeth long, grey-yellow. Stigma green to blackish. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains irregular in size. Achenes ( Fig. 4 ) ochraceous when immature, later pale reddish-orange to pale cinnamon-orange or cinnamon-brown, (4.7–) 4.9–5.0 (–5.4) × 0.9–1.1 mm, body ± irregularly, not densely covered with variously broad squamules in the upper 1/4–1/5, otherwise smooth, ± gradually narrowing into a subconical cone 0.9–1.2 mm long, ca. 0.4 mm thick at base; beak thin, ca. 6 mm, pappus white, ca. 6 mm long.—Agamospermous.

Ecology and distribution.— Taraxacum persquamulosum grows in relatively humid subalpine and alpine pastures and grasslands, often dominated by several Kobresia and other Cyperaceae species, between 3800 and 4500 m. It is probably the most common species of this section; it is known from various regions of the Karakorum and the adjacent parts of Ladakh ( Fig. 8 ).

Specimens seen ( Fig. 8 ):— PAKISTAN. Karakorum, 14 500 [ft.], C. B. Clarke 30196B (K, no. det. 28169, one of the original syntypes of the name T. stenolepium ).—Iter Karakorumense II (1991), Hunza Valley, Rakaposhi N. flank, above Nilt, 36º12’14”N, 74º26’E, 4230–4300 m, 31 Aug 1990, relatively humid alpine Cyperaceae mats dominated by Carex and Kobresia spp. on alpine turf, veg. rec. 681–683, G. Miehe & S. Miehe 6629 (holo: herb. Miehe, no. det. 28121).—N. Pakistan, Iter Karakorumense I (1990), Shinghai Gah to Pahot Gali, 4240 m, 35º48’55”N, 74º10’17”E, relatively humid alpine Cyperaceae mats dominated by Carex and Kobresia spp. on alpine turf, west-facing slopes, veg. rec. 99–100, G. Miehe & S. Miehe 1620 (herb. Miehe, no. det. 28119).—N. Pakistan, Iter Karakorumense I (1990), Khaibar / Upper Hunza, 36º35’N, 74º43’E, 4000 m, subalpine Juniperus macropoda dwarf-scrub on south- and eastfacing slopes, veg. rec. 211–213, 20 Aug 1990, G. Miehe & S. Miehe 2606 (herb. Miehe, no. det. 28118).—[ Pakistan] Karakorum, Hunza Valley, Sheminjerav Valley, Maidun Area, 36º40’N, 74º46’E, 3880 m, 5 Jul 2000, Bistorta affinis dwarf scrubland, rel. 418, E. Eberhardt 7522 (herb. Dickoré, no. det. 28120).— INDIA. Jammu & Kashmir State, Ladakh, Dras Region, Matayan, slopes above the village, 3700–3800 m, 34º21.78’N, 75º35.89’E, 13 Aug 2005, L. Klimeš 5692 (PRA, no. det. 28123).—NW. India, Jammu & Kashmir State, Ladakh, Dras Region, Matayan, side valley to SE.—Doksa, to upper part of the valley, 3720–3800 m, 34º20.16’N, 75º37.05’E, 14 Aug 2005, L. Klimeš 5727 (PRA, no. det. 28122).—NW. India, Jammu & Kashmir State, Ladakh, Indus Valley, Domkhar—Dha, Phatta River Valley, above upper Doksa, 4320–4360 m, 34º38.66’N, 76º41.9’E, 10 Sep 2006, L. Klimeš 7078 (PRA, no. det. 28124).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Achenes of the representatives of T. sect. Squamulosa. A, T. stenotegulatum (no. det. 28114); B, T. persquamulosum (no. det. 28118); C, D, T. tenuiculum (no. det. 28127, 28128, respectively). Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 8. Distribution of Taraxacum persquamulosum.