Taraxacum stenotegulatum 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 : 10-12

1. Taraxacum stenotegulatum Kirschner & Štěpánek , sp. nov. ( Figure 5.)

Type:— PAKISTAN. N. Pakistan, Iter Karakorumense I (1990), Shinghai Gah to Pahot Gali, 4000 m, 35º48’55”N, 74º10’17”E, relatively humid subalpine/alpine meadow ... with Kobresia schoenoides , veg. rec. 82, 31 Jul 1990, G. Miehe & S. Miehe 1399 (holotype: herb. Miehe, no. det. 28114).

Etymology.—With narrow involucre.

Diagnosis:—Plantae sexuales tenues foliis indivisis linearibus vel lineari-lanceolatis, saepissime integris, involucro ad basin turbinato vel subturbinato phyllariis exterioribus paucis (6–9) adpressis linearibus vel triangulari-lanceolatis, floribus luteis, stigmatibus pallide viridibus vel griseo-flavis, acheniis pallide brunneo-stramineis corpore superne distincte squamuloso, pyramide subconica 0.7–0.9 mm longa.

Slender plants 12–22 cm tall. Petiole long, thin, narrow, unwinged, usually suffused purple, sometimes greenish, plant base ± glabrous, petiole bases not persistent; leaves mid-green, linear to linear-lanceolate, 5–22 cm × 4–11 mm, glabrous, blade margin usually entire, sometimes with 1–2 remote pairs of short teeth, inner leaves sometimes with elongated terminal segment 3–5 cm × 2–5 mm and 1–2 pairs of linear, subrecurved lateral segments to 6–7 mm long. Scapes brownish green, ± equalling leaves, most often ± glabrous, sometimes sparsely to densely aranose above. Capitulum 1.5–2 cm wide. Involucre 4–7 mm wide, base turbinate to slightly rounded-obconical. Outer phyllaries 6–9, unequal but not imbricate, appressed, linear, linear-lanceolate or seldom triangular-lanceolate, usually (4–) 5–6 (–8) mm long, 1.2–2.4 mm wide, with a black to black-green middle strip ca. 0.5–1 mm wide and white to whitish-membranous border 0.3–0.6 mm wide, transition into middle strip abrupt, margins glabrous, entire or with 1–2 minute teeth, apex flat, not corniculate; inner phyllaries (10–) 13–15 (–16) mm long, grey-green to blackish green, often with a black middle line, apex flat, often purplish. Ligules yellow, outer ligules almost flat, striped greyish or greyish-pinkish outside, inner ligule teeth long, ± grey-pink. Stigmas greyish pale green or yellowish grey.Anthers polliniferous, pollen grains regular in size. Achenes ( Fig. 4 ) light stramineous-brown to yellowish-greyish, 4.4–4.8 × 1.0– 1.1 mm, body with 1–3 rows of large squamules in the upper 1/5, the uppermost squamules forming a collar-like rim subabruptly narrowing into subcylindrical to subconical cone 0.7–0.9 mm long, ca. 0.3 mm thick at base; beak thin 5.5–6.5 mm, pappus white, 6–7 mm.—Sexual.

Ecology and distribution.— Taraxacum stenotegulatum grows in moderately wet subalpine and alpine grasslands within the span of 3600 to 4000 m. Its distribution extends from the SW. Karakorum to the Dras Region of Ladakh ( Fig. 6 ).

Specimens seen:— INDIA. Jammu & Kashmir State, Ladakh, Dras Region, Lamchan Nullah, 3800–3880 m,

34º23.56’N, 75º44.5’E, 18 Aug 2005, L. Klimeš 5862 (PRA, no. det. 28117).— PAKISTAN. Iter Karakorumense I (1990), Shinghai Gah to Pahot Gali, 3610 m, 35º48’55”N, 74º10’17”E, subalpine Juniperus communis dwarf-scrub replacing Betula utilis forest on north-facing slopes, veg. rec. 43, 27 Jul 1990, G. Miehe & S. Miehe 916 (herb. Miehe, no. det. 28115).—Pakistan, Northern Areas, SW. Karakorum, Gilgit, Gilgit Range, Upper Jutial Nala, SW. of Gilgit, 35º50’N, 74º20ºE, 3910 m, alpine turf by lake, 1 Sep 1995, B. Dickoré 12351 (herb. Dickoré, no. det. 28116).

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 6. Distribution of Taraxacum stenotegulatum.