五台山蒲公英 wu tai shan pu gong ying

Taraxacum platypecidum Diels var. angustibracteatum Y. Ling.

Type: China. Hebei: "Kungtaoling, Hsiaowutaishan [小五 台山], alpine meadow," 2500 m, 11 Jul 1934, C. W. Wang 61630 (holotype, PE, no. det. 18637).

Paratypes: China. Hebei: "Hsiaowutaishan [小五台山], T’ang-ch’ih-sze," 1600 m, 19 Jul 1931, T. P. Wang 925, type of Taraxacum platypecidum var. angustibracteatum (PE, no. det. 18648); "Hsiaowutaishan [小五台山]," 3000 m, 6 Aug 1934, C. W. Wang 62098 (PE, no. det. 18649); 5 Jul 1931, T. P. Wang 532 (PE, no. det. 18639); Wu & Yang 36916 (PE, no. det. 18643); Wu & Yang 36909 (PE, no. det. 18640); Wu & Yang 37634 (PE, no. det. 18638); Anonymous 5087 (PE, no. det. 18630, 18631); Anonymous 5088 (PE, no. det. 18632); Anonymous 5325 (PE, no. det. 18634, 18633); Anonymous 1752 (PE, no. det. 18636).

Plantae sexuales, habitu toto floribusque ad Taraxacum platypecidum Diels valde accedentes, sed ab eo differunt foliis argutius divisis lobis lateralibus approximatis, phyllariis involucralibus exterioribus tantum (9 vel)10 ad 13(vel 14), ovato-lanceolatis vel lineari-lanceolatis, minoribus (plerumque 6.5-8.5 mm longis et 2-3 mm latis), granis pollinis aequimagnis, acheniis griseo-stramineis 4.5-4.9 mm longis pyramide subconica solum 0.6-0.8 mm longa.

Herbs (4-)12-20(-30) cm tall. Petiole green to purplish, often 3-6 cm, narrow, sparsely arachnoid; leaf blade mid-green, of variable shape, oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, (2-)5-10(-15) × 1.5-3.5 cm, arachnoid and usually densely so, margin almost undivided and sinuate-dentate or more often deeply pinnatisect; lateral lobes (3-)5-9(-11) pairs, narrowly triangular to narrowly deltoid, ± approximate, ± patent, sometimes subrecurved, margin entire or rarely ± dentate and on distal side usually sigmoid; interlobes short, narrow; terminal lobe triangular to 3-partite, terminal segment narrowly triangular and apex acute to subobtuse. Scapes brownish green or purplish, overtopping leaves, arachnoid but lanate below capitulum. Capitulum (1-)1.5-2.5(-3.5) cm wide. Involucre 0.8-1.2 cm wide, base broadly obconic to obconic-rounded. Outer phyllaries (9 or)10-13(or 14), ± imbricate, ovate-lanceolate, narrowly lanceolate, or rarely ovate, outermost ones (5-)6.5-8.5(-10.5) × (1.3-)2-3(-3.5) mm and 3/5-4/5 as long as inner ones, ± appressed, sometimes arachnoid on abaxial surface near apex, middle part black and usually 0.7-1.1 mm wide, with a sharp transition into a broad white to whitish pink border, margin densely ciliate, apex ± flat or blackish callose. Ligules yellow, not striped or outside very faintly striped grayish; inner ligules with yellow or pinkish apical teeth; floret tube ± glabrous. Stigmas variable in color, usually yellow, dirty yellow, or greenish yellow but sometimes blackish green (within population). Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains regular in size. Achene (not fully ripe) grayish straw-colored brown, (4-)4.5-4.9 × 0.9-1 mm; body spinulose in upper ca. 1/3, subgradually narrowing into a subconic 0.6-0.8 mm cone, spinules minute and thin. Pappus white, 5-6 mm. Fl. summer. Sexual.

● Subalpine meadows; 1400-3000 m. Hebei (Xiaowutai Shan).

Taraxacum peccator is a sexual relative of agamospermous plants of the T. platypecidum group, probably confined to Hebei (Xiaowutai Shan). It deviates from T. platypecidum in the type of reproduction, deeply dissected leaves with dense approximate segments, lower number of outer phyllaries, smaller outer phyllaries, and very different achenes.