Lactuca sagittarioides C.B.Clarke, Compos. Ind.: 265. 1876.

Zhang, Jian-Wen, Kilian, Norbert, Huang, Jiang-Hua & Sun, Hang, 2023, Ixeridium sagittarioides (Asteraceae - Cichorieae) revisited: range extension and molecular evidence for its systematic position in the Lactuca alliance, PhytoKeys 230, pp. 115-130 : 115

Lactuca sagittarioides C.B.Clarke, Compos. Ind.: 265. 1876.

Ixeris sagittarioides ≡ Ixeris sagittarioides (C.B.Clarke) Stebbins in J. Bot. 75: 51. 1937.

Ixeridium sagittarioides ≡ Ixeridium sagittarioides (C.B.Clarke) Pak & Kawano in Mem. Fac. Sci. Kyoto Univ., Ser. Biol. 15: 48. 1992.

Mycelis sagittarioides ≡ Mycelis sagittarioides (C.B.Clarke) Sennikov in Bot. Zhurn. 82(5): 112. 1997.

Syntypes.

"Himalaya boreali-occidentali", 6000', T. Thomson (K); [India, Uttarakhand, Kumaon Hills] "Nynee Tal" [= Nainital], T. Thomson (K); [India, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab] “Dhurmsala” [= Dharamshala], C.B. Clarke (K); Nepal, 3.1821, Wallich Cat. 3270 (K001118954, digit. image!; BM 000035537, digit. image!); Burma, ad Moyen, 1200', J. Anderson (K).

Description.

Perennial rosette herb, (15-)20-65 cm tall; caudex small, often branched and plant with a two or a few rosettes. Taproot cylindric to narrowly turniplike, to c. 1 cm in diam.; lateral roots perhaps also shoot-bearing. Stem usually one per rosette, erect, branched from basal half or higher up, leafless or with few leaves in proximal portion, sparsely hairy. Rosette leaves conspicuously sagittiform and usually long-petiolate; petiole 2-22 cm, narrowly winged, margin entire or distantly sinuate-dentate; lamina triangular in outline, 2-8 × 1.5-10 cm, usually with a basal pair of acute to acuminate triangular lateral lobes and an acute triangular terminal lobe; the lateral lobes narrow or broad, sometimes much reduced to missing, directed downwards, outwards or upwards; sometimes lamina with an additional rudimentary pair of lobes above the basal one and then pentagonal; margin shallowly sinuate-dentate and often also denticulate. Stem leaves few, the lower ones similar to basal leaves but smaller and less lobed, upper leaves lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, entire, narrowed into short petiolate portion. Synflorescence paniculiform-corymbiform, with some to many capitula. Capitula with c. 12-25 florets; peduncle wiry, mostly 1-2 cm long. Involucre narrowly cylindric, 7-8 mm at anthesis to 8-10 mm at fruiting; outer phyllaries narrowly ovate to lanceolate, apex acute, outermost c. 2 mm, innermost up to 2/3 of the length of the inner (rarely longer); inner phyllaries c. 8(-10), linear-lanceolate, acute. Florets with [orange-, according to collector] yellow corolla, c. 12-14 mm; ligulae c. 6-8 mm; anther tube yellow, fertile portion c. 2.2 mm, apical appendages 0.2 mm, basal appendages 0.4-0.5 mm; style yellow. Achenes 4-4.5 mm long, slightly compressed, subfusiform with largest diameter in middle third, apically attenuate into a beak, basally less strongly attenuate into an annular carpophore; corpus with 5 main ribs, each with ± 2 secondary ribs; scabrid of antrorse triangular apical projections of achene epidermis cells, brown to purplish brown; beak 0.6-1.2(-2) mm, pale. Pappus 4-6 mm, persistent, of scabrid, white bristles.

Variation.

Although the leaves are always distinctly sagittiform, their shape and size underlie considerable variation. The shape variation given in the description is believed to circumscribe its full extent, but we are uncertain whether the size variation is fully covered in the description. A sterile specimen from NW Himalaya (Chamba state, Kuntha Forest, Aug 1898, J.H. Lace 14C (E00360966) only including a leaf rosette may belong to Lactuca sagittarioides ; its leaves approach 40 cm in length, with a petiole of up to 30 cm, and a lamina of up to 10 × 20 cm. The beak length of the achenes usually ranges between 0.6-1.2 mm, but Gamble 23483 from NWP has a beak of c. 2 mm; its innermost outer phyllaries are unusually long, approaching the inner in length.

Specimens seen.

India. Uttarakhand: Kumaon, Lohba, 5500' Apr 1848, R. Strachey & J.B. Winterbottom (K); Kumaon, Gungoli, 5300', R. Stratchey & J.S. Winterbottom (BM 011024277, digit. image). - Uttar Pradesh, ["North western Province, Jannsar[?] District, 3000', May 1892, J.S. Gamble (K).

Bhutan. Khine Lhakang, 6000', 15 Apr 1949, F. Ludlow et al. 20135 (BM 000035434, digit. image)

Burma. Shan hills Matean[?] near Wankou[?], 5000', Mar 1888, H. Collett 471 (K); Mundat, 4800', 29 Apr 1956, F. Kingdon-Ward 22171 (BM 11024278, digit. image).

Thailand. Chiengmai, Doi Sutep, open Quercus forest, 1250 m, 18 Apr 1958, T. Sørensen et al. 2876 (C, digit. image)

China. Yunnan: Salween valley, 25°6'N, 98°50'E, slopes, dry grassy banks, Apr 1931 G. Forrest 29519 (E 00489230, PE); Jengyueh, 25°N, 98°36'E, 5000-7000', hills, dry clay pasture, Aug 1924, G. Forrest 24794 (E00489233); Jengyueh, 2 5°N, 98°36'E, 5000-7000', hills, open pasture, Mar 1924 G. Forrest 24004 (E00489232); Jengyueh, 25°N, 98°36' E, 7000', hills, open stony clay pasture, Apr 1925, G. Forrest 26308 (E 00489231; K, PE); [...], S.W. grass mts, 5000', A. Henry 12998 (K); Jingdong, San Cha Ho, 24°36'56"N, 100°42'35"E, 1600 m, 13 Mar 1940, M.G. Li 1884 (KUN); Shuangjiang, 23°28'24.6"N, 99°49'39.72"E, 1068 m, Apr 1936, C.W. Wang 72957 (KUN, PE); Xingping, Pingdian, 24°01'21"N, 101°52'20"E, 1326 m, 1 Jun 2012, Xingping survey team 5304270356 (IMDY); Menghai, Meng’e, 22°13'30"N, 100°17'49"E, 1195 m, Menghai survey team 5328220572 (IMDY); Jinghong, Caiyang River, 22°09'23.51"N, 101°11'59.28"E, 1250 m, Jinghong survey team 5328010664 (IMDY). - Guizhou: Wangmo, 25.18°N, 106.12°E, 700 m, 13 Apr 2018, J.W. Zhang 1091 (KUN).

Distribution.

Lactuca sagittarioides is distributed along the Himalayan chain from N Pakistan across NW India, Nepal, Bhutan, N Myanmar and N Thailand to SW China (for references see Kilian et al. 2009b). It is found on open, often grassy slopes, at altitudes mostly between 1500 and 2000 m, but down to 700 m in Guizhou and up to somewhat above 2000 m in Yunnan. The occurrence of the species seems altogether very scattered and it does not seem to be frequent anywhere.