Taraxacum tenuiculum 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 : 16-17

3. Taraxacum tenuiculum Kirschner & Štěpánek , sp. nov. ( Figure 9 .)

Type :— INDIA. NW. India, [Ladakh], Watakul Valley, 3840–4250 m, 34º23’N, 75º49’E, 13 Sep 2004, L. Klimeš 6642 (holotype: PRA, no. det. 28127; isotype: PRA, no. 28138) .

Etymology.—Diminutive of tenuis.

Diagnosis:—Plantae agamospermae tenues foliis linearibus vel lineri-oblanceolatis indivisis, interdum integris, saepissime remote dentatis vel lobatis, lobis lateralibus 2–3 integris acutissimis, scapis araneosis, involucris angustis, basi subturbinatis, phyllariis exterioribus numerosis (9–15) linearibus vel lineari-lanceolatis, adpressis, conspicue albo-marginatis, floribus luteis stigmatibus nigrescentibus, antheris polliniferis, acheniis pallide fumosis vel pallide fumoso-fulvescentibus, corpore angusto superne conspicue sparse squamuloso, pyramide subcylindrica, saepissime 0.7–0.9 mm longa.

Plants slender, usually 8–22 cm tall. Petiole purple to purplish green, long, narrow, unwinged, plant base sparsely aranose. Leaves mid-green with pale green or purplish midvein, linear to linear-oblanceolate, usually 6–12 × 0.6–1.2 cm, subglabrous to sparsely aranose, not divided and entire or with 2–3 pairs of short recurved teeth or with 2–3 pairs of narrowly linear-triangular, acute, usually entire, recurved lobes 2–4 mm long. Scapes brownish green, aranose, densely so below capitulum, overtopping leaves. Capitulum ca. 1.5 cm wide. Involucre narrow, cylindrical, (3–) 4 (–5) mm wide, obconical at base. Outer phyllaries (9) 10–13 (15), ± not imbricate, linear to linear-lanceolate, usually 5–8 × 1.0– 1.8 mm, appressed, often some arcuate-recurved distally, with a distinct white to whitish-pinkish border 0.2–0.4 mm wide, with an abrupt transition into almost black middle part, margins sparsely ciliate below apex, apex often reddish, ± flat; inner phyllaries blackish green, 13–17 mm long, apex flat. Ligules yellow, outer ligules usually not very exserted, canaliculate to cucullate, striped faintly grey-purplish outside, inner ligules with blackish apical teeth. Stigmas blackish. Anthers polliniferous, pollen grains irregular in size. Achenes ( Fig. 4 ) uniformly light pure grey to light fulvous greyish, 4.9–5.2 (–6.2) × 0.9 mm, body relatively slender, smooth, only with 1–3 horizontal rows of, or scattered, broad, erect-patent squamules in the upper 1/5, seemingly subabruptly narrowing into subcylindrical cone (0.6–) 0.7–0.9 (–1.1) mm long, 0.3 (–0.4) mm thick; beak 5–6 mm long, ± thin; pappus yellowish white to white, 5–6 mm long.—Agamosperm.

Ecology and distribution.— Taraxacum tenuiculum grows in medium humid subalpine and alpine pastures, from 3800 to 4500 m. It is known from Ladakh ( Fig. 10 ).

Specimens seen ( Fig. 10 ): — INDIA. NW. India, Umbo village to the Watakul Valley [Ladakh, Umba], 4200– 4500 m, 34º21’N, 75º53’E, 12 Sep 2004, L. Klimeš 6641 (PRA, no. det. 28128 and duplicates).—NW. India [Ladakh], Tongul, valley S of the village, 3800–4100 m, 27 Aug 2005, L. Klimeš 7436 (PRA, no. det. 18463 and duplicates).

4. Taraxacum amblylepidocarpum Soest (1963: 12)

Type:— INDIA. Plants of N. W. Himalaya, Mt. Kolahoi, Kashmir [E. of Srinagar, N. of Pahalgam], 12 000 ft. [3600 m], 16–20 Aug 1927, R. R. Stewart 9422 (holotype: K, no. det. 8786).

Plants small, to 12 cm tall, plant base sparsely aranose. Petiole long, narrow, unwinged, ± pinkish pale green. Leaves ± mid-green, ± oblanceolate in outline, 9–12 × 0.9–2 cm, ± pinnatipartite, lateral segments in 3–5 pairs, narrowly triangular-deltoid, recurved, distal margin straight to convex, usually entire or with a single minute tooth, proximal margin ± straight, entire, interlobes distinct, ca. 0.5–1 × ca. 0.2 cm, entire or with 1–2 filiform teeth, terminal segment triangular-sagittate with basal lobules recurved, apex acute. Scape greenish-brownish, sparsely aranose, densely so below capitulum, ± subequalling leaves. Capitulum ca. 1.5 cm wide. Involucre narrow, ca. 5–6 mm wide, narrowly rounded at base. Outer phyllaries ca. 7–9, appressed at base, recurved or arcuate in the distal half, narrowly linear, 7.5–8.5 × 1.4–1.7 mm, border distinct, whitish to whitish-membranous, 0.3–0.4 mm wide, with abrupt transition into a blackish green middle strip, margins glabrous, apex flat or slightly callose. Inner phyllaries ca. 12 mm long, to 2 mm wide. Ligules yellow, outer ligules ± flat, striped grey-pink outside, inner ligule teeth black-purple. Pollen absent. Stigmas black-green. Achenes [not fully ripe] light stramineous brown, ca. 5 mm long, 1.1–1.2 mm thick, body coarsely squamulose in the uppermost part and sparsely spinulose-squamulose below the main squamulosity, with a subabrupt transition into a robust, thick, conical cone 0.9–1.0 mm long, beak ± thin, ca. 5 mm long (unripe), pappus white, ca. 5 mm long.

This species is known from a single gathering from Kashmir ( Fig. 11 ) consisting of a single small individual. Its relatively thick, robust achenes, with a thick, conical cone represent a safe diagnostic character distinguishing the core species of T. sect. Squamulosa and T. amblylepidocarpum . The character of outer phyllaries, sculpture of achenes and the narrow involucre is not far from the pattern of T. sect. Squamulosa, however. We therefore treat T. amblylepidocarpum as a marginal species of T. sect. Squamulosa.

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 9. Taraxacum tenuiculum (PRA, no. det. 28127). Scale bar = 3 cm.

FIGURE 10. Distribution of Taraxacum tenuiculum.

FIGURE 11. Distribution of Taraxacum amblylepidocarpum.