Taraxacum candicans Kirschner & Štěpánek, 2025

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 : 37-41

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.679.1.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0399F353-FFB7-FF9E-FF78-FB7F4C60BF70
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Taraxacum candicans Kirschner & Štěpánek
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

11. Taraxacum candicans Kirschner & Štěpánek View in CoL , sp. nov.

Type:—[ RUSSIA, Altai Republic, Ябоганский перевал] USSR, Sibiria austro-occid., montes Altaj, distr. Usť-Kan, secundum viarum in clausa mont. Jabaganskij Pereval , ca. 1500–1600 m, 27 Jun 1988, J. Kirschner, cultivated as T 192 ( PRA, no. det. 35860, holotype) .

Etymology:—Becoming whitish.

Diagnosis:—Species insignis calathiis pallide ochroleucis vel albescentibus, foliis angustis petiolis alatis, phyllariis involucralibus exterioribus adpressis, ovatis, apice cornibus crassis atropurpureis praeditis, acheniis longe spinulosis corpore in pyramidem saepissime subconicam, 0.6–0.8 mm longam subsensim abeunte.

Plants small to medium-sized, usually 8–12 (–23) cm tall. Petiole light pinkish, narrowly winged, sparsely arachnoid, plant base without tunic. Leaves ± light green to light greyish green, mid-vein bordered purplish, blade sparsely arachnoid to subglabrous, narrowly oblong in outline, usually 8–12 (–22) × (1–) 1.5–2.5 (–3.5) cm, usually pinnatisect, sometimes to pinnatifid, with 4–6 pairs of usually patent, linear-triangular to narrowly triangular, conspicuously acuminate lateral segments, distal margin ± straight to sigmoid or concave, entire or with 1 (–2) sub-basal thin teeth, proximal margin convex or sigmoid, entire, terminal segment elongated, narrowly triangular to tripartite, lobes acuminate, entire, interlobes usually 2–5 mm wide, usually bordered dark purple or blotched, entire or with a single thin tooth or an acuminate lobule. Scapes light brownish green, sparsely arachnoid, densely so below capitulum, subequalling leaves. Capitulum slightly yellowish white to almost white, ca. 3 cm wide. Involucre green to dark green, ca. 9–10 mm wide and broadly rounded at base. Outer phyllaries (10) 11–14 (15), ± tightly appressed, subimbricate or not imbricate, ± ovate (the innermost ones narrowly ovate to ± lanceolate), (6.5–) 7.5–8.5 (–9.5) × (2.0–) 3.0– 4.3 mm, surface light green to dark green, border distinct, whitish membranous or whitish green, sometimes membranous, 0.3– 0.5 mm wide, with a purplish band bordering it inside, margins ± glabrous (or with occasional remote ciliae or with a few distal little teeth), apex usually with a thick, relatively short (0.5–1.0 mm) black-purple horn; inner phyllaries 12– 13 (–14) mm long, usually dark corniculate. Outer ligules flat to canaliculate, striped deep grey or pinkish grey outside, teeth dark grey, inner ligule teeth ± whitish yellow. Stigmas greyish green, with blackish pubescence outside. Pollen present, pollen grains irregular in size. Achenes light greyish stramineous-brown (with a stronger greyish hue), usually (3.5–) 3.8–4.2 (–4.5) × (0.9–) 1.0–1.1 (–1.1) mm, achene body subdensely covered with distinct, suberect to erect-patent, ± straight, relatively long spinules in upper 1/3, body subgradually to subabruptly narrowing into a broadly subcylindrical to ± conical cone (0.6–) 0.7–0.8 mm long, ca. 0.35–0.45 mm thick at base, 0.30–0.35 mm distally; beak thin (ca. 0.1 mm), 8–9 mm long, pappus white, 5.5–6 mm long. – Agamospermous. – Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 , 21 View FIGURE 21 , 22 View FIGURE 22 .

Diagnostic notes:—In its pale yellowish white flowers, T. candicans approaches T. sect. Leucantha , and its leaf shape also points to it. However, the ovate outer phyllaries with thick horns, achenes with a subconical cone, winged petioles and often a relatively robust general habit place T. candicans closer to T. sect. Borealia. The long acuminate lateral leaf lobes, and bordered to blotched interlobes are also diagnostic.

Distribution:—Known from the Yabaganskiy Pereval, the W. Altai.

Specimens examined:—[ RUSSIA, Altai Republic] the W. Altai, Usť-Kan District, meadows in the Yabaganskii Pereval Pass , ca. 1500–1600 m, 27 Jun 1988, J. Kirschner, cultivated as JŠ 3328 ( PRA, no. det. 36732). – Ibidem, a field gathering ( PRA, no. det. 36730) .

Species with cone broadly conical, short, and leaves frequently undivided