Taraxacum kolymense Khokhryakov (1973: 47)

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 : 85-87

33. Taraxacum kolymense Khokhryakov (1973: 47)

Type:—[ RUSSIA, The Far East] Sredne-Kansk, 29 Jul 1969, A. P. Khokhryakov & M. T. Mazurenko ( MHA 33873 , photo!, lectotype, designated in Kirschner et al. 2022a: 158); isolectotypes : MHA 33875 , photo !; MHA 33874 , photo !; MHA 33872 , photo !; MHA 33871 , photo !; MHA 33870 , photo !).

Type indication:— Magadanskaya oblast’, Ust’-Srednekan, galechnik po beregy r. Kolymy [Magadan Region, Ust’-Srednekan, gravel along Kolyma R.], 30 Jul 1969 [Russian text] / 29 Jul 1969 [Latin text], M. T. Mazurenko & A. P. Khokhryakov .

Etymology:—Kolyma, a river with sources in the Magadan Region, and the middle and lower streams in the Sakha Republic, NE. Siberia.

Note 1:— The original material of T. kolymense consists of a very rich and representative gathering in MHA, comprising seven well prepared herbarium specimens with 29 plants, some of them with fruits. It was collected by M. T. Mazurenko and A. P. Khokhryakov on July 29, 1969. The specimen that would be collected on July 30, 1969, as indicated in the Russian part of the protologue, is missing from the herbarium MHA. We consider the latter date (July 30) as a mistake, and our description and the interpretation is based on a rich gathering collected a day before, on July 29, 1969 (see the list of syntypes and Specimens examined). As the whole gathering was designated as a holotype, lectotype was designated in Kirschner et al. (2022a) .

Note 2:— A full treatment of T. kolymense , including an image of the newly designated lectotype specimen, was published in Kirschner et al. (2022a)

Plants slender, ca. 12–23 cm tall. Petiole long, narrow, narrowly winged, pale greenish, sometimes suffused purple, subglabrous. Leaves light green, ± glabrous, linear to linear-oblanceolate, usually 6–13 × 0.6–1.0 cm, undivided, most often with remote, very short teeth, or wholly entire, only seldom sinuate-dentate, with more numerous, patent to recurved teeth, seldom leaves pinnatisect, with 2–3 pairs of patent, narrowly deltoid entire lateral segments; mid-vein usually pale green. Scapes light green to light brownish green, later often suffused purplish, sparsely arachnoid below capitulum, ± equalling leaves. Capitulum yellow, ca. 2.5 cm wide. Involucre olivaceous-green, ca. 4–6 mm wide and ± narrowly obconical at base. Outer phyllaries 10–13 (15), appressed to loosely appressed, some ± erect, subimbricate, linear-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, usually 5–7 × 1.2–1.5 (–2.0) mm, ± light olivaceous green to deep grey-green, with a ± gradual transition into a paler light greenish border ca. 0.1–0.3 mm wide (sometimes border not visible or purplish), margin subglabrous, apex with a thick horn to ca. 1 mm long; inner phyllaries 10–12 mm long, corniculate. Outer ligules flat to canaliculate, striped very light purplish outside. Stigmas discoloured. Pollen present, regular in size. Achene set with a significant, relatively high proportion of sterile achenes, usually slender, to 0.5 mm thick, whitish grey or otherwise paler than fully developed achenes. Achenes red-brown or greyish light brown (with a light pinkish hue) when well developed, 4.3–4.7 × 0.8–1.0 mm, sparsely to densely spinulose in upper 1/5–1/4, gradually narrowing into a short, subcylindrical cone ca. 0.3–0.5 mm long; beak thin, ca. (4.5–) 7 mm long, pappus yellowish white, ca. 5.5–6 mm long. – Sexual. – Fig. 55 , 56 .

Diagnostic notes:—The basic features show the distinctiveness of T. kolymense : The very narrow, narrowly, inconspicuously bordered outer phyllaries with distinct horns, narrow, usually linear, mostly undivided leaves, obconical involucre base, and achenes with a short cone are diagnostic. It may be compared with T. lenense with the deep grey or deep grey-olivaceous achenes spinulose and tuberculate throughout, outer ligules striped grey-purple outside, deeply lobed leaves, involucre broader and rounded at base. Taraxacum lateritium can be distinguished by its broader outer phyllaries, much longer cone and ± glabrous scapes. Taraxacum badzhalense differs from T. kolymense in a totally different leaf shape, longer inner phyllaries and a longer beak. And last, T. macilentum is distinct from T. kolymense in having lanceolate, broader outer phyllaries, light greyish stramineous brown achenes with a longer cone, and a longer beak.

Distribution:—Known from a single macrolocality along Kolyma River, the Magadan Region.

Specimens examined:—[ RUSSIA, The Far East] Magadanskaya oblast’, Ust’-Srednekan, a gravelly slope, 29

Jul 1969, A. Khokhryakov & M. Mazurenko (MHA 33876!).

Figures

FIGURE 55. Taraxacum kolymense. Examples of general habit (A, MHA 33875; B, MHA 33873; C, MHA 33871). Scale bars = 2 cm.

FIGURE 56. Taraxacum kolymense. A, pollen from the lectotype specimen. Note the ± uniform size of pollen grains. Scale bar = 40 μm. B, a detail of flower heads (MHA0033873). Scale bar = 5 mm. Modified from Kirschner et al. (2022a).