Taraxacum maurolepium Haglund (1949: 111)

Kirschner, Jan, Štěpánek, Jan & Buryy, Vladimir V., 2025, Towards a revision of Taraxacum sect. Borealia (Compositae, Crepidinae) in Siberia and the continental Far East, with special reference to the dandelions of the Altai and Kamchatka, Phytotaxa 679 (1), pp. 1-147 : 64-66

22. Taraxacum maurolepium Haglund (1949: 111)

Type:— U.S.A. Alaska, Umiat, sandy terrace near Colville River , 3 Aug 1948, E . Lepage 23784 ( CAN 506868 !, holotype; isotypes: CAN 204344 !, S, n. v.) .

Note:—The original material of T. maurolepium mostly consists of luxurious, tall plants, probably growing in a tall grass. The plants from Kamchatka retain the qualitative characters of T. maurolepium but are ± medium-sized, and the description below deviates from the protologue in some quantitative features.

Etymology:—With black phyllaries, from Greek.

Plants medium-sized, usually (10–) 12–18 (–22) cm tall. Plant base with an inconspicuous tunic, subglabrous or with a few brownish hairs; petiole narrowly winged or unwinged, pale green or faintly suffused pinkish. Leaves light mid-green, subglabrous or sparsely arachnoid, linear-oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate in outline, ca. (6–) 7–10 (–14) × (1.0–) 1.5–2.5 (–3) cm, often undivided and remotely dentate, usually with 2–3 pairs of short patent deltoid lobules (rarely subacute lobes), margins entire, sometimes distal lobules with a single obtuse tooth, terminal segment variable, usually narrowly helmet-shaped or triangular, subobtuse to subacute, usually entire, basal lobules ± patent, deltoid; interlobes broad, entire; mid-vein usually greenish, sometimes ± suffused pinkish. Scapes brownish green, distally sometimes purplish, sparsely arachnoid, overtopping leaves. Capitulum yellow, 2.5–3.5 cm wide. Involucre blackish olivaceous, ca. 8–9 mm wide and ± narrowly rounded at base. Outer phyllaries 9–11, appressed, unequal but not imbricate, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, usually (5.0–) 6.5–7.0 (–8) × (2.2–) 2.5–2.8 (–3.5) mm, surface black-green, border narrow, distinct or ± indistinct, sharply delimited, whitish or membranous-whitish, 0.1–0.2 mm wide, margin glabrous or sparsely ciliate, apex corniculate, horns up to 1 mm long; inner phyllaries 12–13 mm long, ± corniculate. Outer ligules ± flat, faintly striped grey pink or grey outside, ligule teeth ± black. Stigmas dark green, with blackish pubescence outside. Pollen absent (anther tubes empty). Achenes (unripe) light greyish stramineous, ca. 4 mm long, body ± densely covered with short acute spinules, gradually narrowing into a short conical cone ca. 0.5 mm long; beak 8–9 mm, pappus yellowish white, ca. 6 mm long. – Agamospermous. – Fig. 40 .

Distribution and habitat:—The geographical range of T. maurolepium includes the north-central and western Alaska, and the central part of Kamchatka. It grows in mosaic-like grasslands along rivers and in mountain tundra habitats. Specimens examined:— RUSSIA. Kamchtka Region, Bystrinskiy District, SE. vicinity of Ichinskaya Volcano,

shore of Babav R., 911 m, 55°38.065’N, 157°54.447’E, 15 Jul 2015, V. V. Buryy T016 (herb. V. V. Buryy, no. det. 36910). – Kamchtka Region , Bystrinskiy District , SE. vicinity of Ichinskaya Volcano, a pass near Mt. Ochachamo , 1443 m, 55°33.992’N, 158°08.940’E, 23 Jul 2015, V. V. Buryy T115 , T116 (herb. V. V. Buryy, no. det. 36912). – Kamchtka Region, Bystrinskiy District, SE. vicinity of Ichinskaya Volcano, valley of Babav R., rocks above the river, 910 m, 55°38.080’N, 157°54.471’E, 17 Jul 2015, V. V. Buryy T101 (herb. V. V. Buryy, no. det. 36905) .

Figures

FIGURE 40. Taraxacum maurolepium. A, general habit (CAN 204344, isotype, scale bar = 2 cm); B, involucre (photo V. V. Buryy, 15 Jul 2015, Ichinskaya Sopka region); C, leaf shape (the same locality).