Taraxacum ochotense Woroschilov (1967: 9)

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 : 48-49

16. Taraxacum ochotense Woroschilov (1967: 9)

Type:—[ RUSSIA, The Far East] Regio Chabarovskensis , Ajan, in glareosis litoralibus, 7 Aug 1962 , V. N. Woroschilov 11071 ( LE, no. det. 6040, holotype; isotype: MHA, photo!) .

Etymology:—Named after the Sea of Okhotsk, a sea between Kamchatka and the Kuriles in the SE, Sakhalin on the west, and the Siberian coast (Magadan and Khabarovsk Regions).

Plants relatively small, to ca. 10 cm tall. Petiole ± unwinged, with faintly purplish mid-vein, tunic ± absent. Leaves light green to mid-green, with green to slightly pinkish mid-vein, narrowly oblong in outline, usually 5–6 × 1.0– 1.5 cm, pinnatisect, terminal segment ± triangular, apex subobtuse, distal margins ± entire, subconcave to concave, basal lobules ± obtuse, subrecurved, convex, entire, lateral segments in 3–4 pairs, patent to subrecurved, apex subobtuse or obtusely acute, rarely acuminate, distal margin usually subconvex, sometimes ± concave, entire or with a single little tooth, proximal margin most often subconvex, entire, sometimes with a single tooth near the base; interlobes distinct 2–3 (–4) mm wide, entire or with a single tooth. Scapes brownish green, ± arachnoid below capitulum, subequalling leaves. Capitulum yellow, ca. 3 cm wide. Involucre dark or blackish olivaceous-green, ca. 8 mm wide and ± rounded at base. Outer phyllaries probably 9–11, arcuate-patent to arcuate-subrecurved, not imbricate, lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, ca. 5–7 × 1.7–2.4 mm, relatively light olivaceous-green with a darker middle part, border sometimes not distinct, usually visible, ± pale greenish-membranous, ca. 0.2–0.4 mm wide, margin often minutely remotely denticulate, apex corniculate, horns to 0.5 mm long; inner phyllaries ca. 13–15 mm long. Outer ligules flat, striped grey or grey-green outside, teeth dark grey. Stigmas dark discoloured, greenish grey. Pollen present, pollen grains probably irregular in size. Achenes grey-olivaceous, later dark grey, ca. 5.0–5.3 × 1.2–1.3 mm, body densely and conspicuously covered by a mix of coarse, curved spinules and shorter spinules and squamules, ± abruptly narrowing into a cylindrical or subcylindrical cone 0.8–1.0 × 0.35–0.40 mm; beak thin, ca. 8 mm long or longer at full maturity; pappus ± white, 6.0– 6.5 mm long. – Fig. 30 .

Diagnostic notes:— Taraxacum ochotense is a rather marginal member of T. sect. Borealia (unwinged petioles, outer phyllaries arcuate-patent, rather slender growth). The relatively robust achenes and conspicuously corniculate outer phyllaries place T. ochotense in this section. Because of the apparent similarity we compare T. ochotense with our T. perdecorum . Relatively dark, grey-olivaceous achenes, shorter and relatively broader, more broadly bordered outer phyllaries, and dark discoloured stigmas are diagnostic of T. ochotense .

Distribution:—Known only from the coastal vicinity of the Ayan town, Khabarovsk region.

Figures

FIGURE 30. Taraxacum ochotense. A, achenes; B, a detail capitulum (both LE, no. det. 6040, holotype).