Taraxacum koraginense Komarov (1930: 200)

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 : 122-123

52. Taraxacum koraginense Komarov (1930: 200)

Type:—[ RUSSIA, Kamchatka] Koraginskiy ostrov, syraya tundra, 1910, K. D. Loginovskiy 15 ( LE, no. det. 6047, syntype) .

Note: — The other syntype, “in promontorio NW insulae Koraginskij”, 27 Jul 1920, V. Skobunov, was not seen by us. The interpretation is therefore based on LE, no. det. 6047 .

Etymology:—After Karaginskiy Island, near the eastern coast of Kamchatka.

Plants robust, ca. 15–17 cm tall. Petiole winged, green or ± purplish, tunic absent. Leaves deep green, ± glabrous, narrowly oblong in outline, ca. 8–13 × 1.5–2.0 (–2.3) cm, some undivided, usually pinnatilobed to pinnatipartite, with 2–4 pairs of broadly deltoid-triangular, patent to subrecurved lateral segments, distal margin most often denticulate, proximal one entire; terminal segment ± rhombic-triangular; mid-vein often suffused purplish. Scapes brownish green, arachnoid, overtopping leaves. Capitulum yellow, ca. 3 cm wide. Involucre dark grey, ca. 8 mm wide and broadly rounded at base. Outer phyllaries usually 11–15, ± appressed, subimbricate, outer of them ovate, the other ± ovate-lanceolate, usually 5–7 (–7.5) × (1.8–) 2.2–2.8 (–3.0) mm, surface usually evenly dark, blackish green to dark grey, often with a slightly paler border zone ca. 0.4–0.8 mm wide, or border ± invisible, to 0.1 mm wide, apex with short, ± black horns or only callose; inner phyllaries ca. 11–13 mm long, dark grey-green, flat to corniculate. Outer ligules narrow, canaliculate, faintly striped grey-pink to ± unstriped. Stigmas discoloured. Pollen present, pollen grains irregular in size. Achenes [unripe] light stramineous-brown, ca. 4 mm long, body ± densely spinulose in upper 1/2, cone ca. 0.6 mm long; beak length of ripe achenes unknown, pappus white, 6–7 mm long. – Agamospermous. – Fig. 84 .

Diagnostic notes:— A rather incomplete, not very well preserved type material does not make it possible to characterize this taxon properly. The tightly appressed, subimbricate, not long (usually 5–7 mm, the inner of them to 7.5 mm), dark, usually relatively broadly but not conspicuously bordered outer phyllaries, and a relatively short cone may be considered as diagnostic. Among hundreds of specimens seen from Kamchatka, only a single gathering is really close to the original material of T. koraginense (Ichinskaya Sopka) . Its outer phyllaries are darker and therefore with a narrower and less distinct border, and with longer horns, but otherwise the new material matches the type .

Distribution:—Known only from Karaginskiy Island, North Kamchatka, and from Bystrinskiy District, Central Kamchatka.

Specimens examined:— RUSSIA. Central Kamchatka, Bystrinskiy District, SE of Ichinskaya Sopka volcano, near Babav R., 55°37.676’ N, 157°54.178’ E, 927 m, 17 Jul 2015, V. V. Buryy T006 , T007 (herb. V. V. Buryy, no. det. 36933) .

Figures

FIGURE 84. Taraxacum koraginense. General habit and details of flower heads (photo V. V. Buryy, 17 Jul 2015, Ichinskaya Sopka region).