藏蒲公英 zang pu gong ying

Herbs 5-15(-20) cm tall. Petiole ± green or purplish, base sparsely arachnoid; leaf blade mid-green to deep green, narrowly oblong-lanceolate in outline, 4-10(-13) × 0.8-1.2(-1.6) cm, glabrous, pinnatilobed to pinnatisect; lateral lobes 2-4 pairs, broadly triangular with base convex on distal side, approximate, ± recurved, distal margin entire, dentate, or sparsely lobulate, apex narrowed into a ± subpatent to strongly recurved lobulelike segment; interlobes short, broad; terminal lobe ± narrowly triangular-sagittate, margin entire or sparsely denticulate, apex subobtuse. Scapes brownish green, ± overtopping leaves, subglabrous and only sparsely arachnoid below capitulum. Capitulum ca. 4 cm wide. Involucre 1.1-1.4 cm wide, base broadly rounded. Outer phyllaries 10-13, ± black, subimbricate, oblong-ovate (often widest above middle), outermost ones (4-)7-9 × 2.7-3.1 mm and 1/2-3/4 as long as inner ones, venation not distinct, unbordered, ± glabrous to sparsely ciliate, ± flat to minutely corniculate below apex; inner phyllaries blackish green, 13-16 × 2-2.5 mm, apex ± flat or callose. Ligules yellow, outside striped dark gray; inner ligules with blackish apical teeth. Stigmas ± black. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains irregular in size. Achene dark grayish brown, 4.1-4.4 × 1.1-1.4 mm; body distally subsparsely spinulose, ± smooth below, ± subabruptly narrowing into a 0.6-0.9 mm cone broadly conic at base and subconic distally, spinules small, suberect, and acute; beak ca. 6 mm. Pappus yellowish white, 7-8 mm. Fl. summer. Agamosperm.

Alpine grasslands and pastures; 3800-5000 m. Sichuan, Xizang [India (Sikkim)].

Records of Taraxacum tibetanum from Qinghai and Yunnan (FRPS 80(2): 55. 1999; Higher Pl. China 11: 782. 2005) should be re-examined. The species was reported from W China and Bhutan (Soest, Wentia 10: 51. 1963), but material is outside the limits of T. tibetanum. The description is compiled on the basis of the lectotype (J. D. Hooker s.n.; K, no. det. 8781; a flowering capitulum of the lectotype specimen is depicted in Handel-Mazzetti, Monogr. Taraxacum, pl. II. 1907), the K and BM syntypes fully corresponding to the lectotype, and H. Smith 10711:1 (PRA, UPS). The description of fruit is based on the latter specimen; achene description in the protologue was prepared using another original syntype (J.-A. Soulié 574, K) not conspecific with the lectotype and is disregarded here.