Taraxacum kljutschevskoanum Komarov (1930: 202)

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 : 108-109

44. Taraxacum kljutschevskoanum Komarov (1930: 202) Type:—[ RUSSIA, Kamchatka] Kamchatka, bassein reki Kamchatki, Klyuchevskaya sopka, 3000 f., alpiiskiy lug, 21 Jun 1909 [Kamchatka

River Basin , Klyuchevskaya Volcano, at ca. 914 m, alpine meadow, 4 Jul 1909], [ V. M.] Kozlovskiy 1411 ( LE, no. det. 6048,

holotype). Etymology:—Named after Klyuchevskaya Sopka, an active stratovolcano of 4750 m in central Kamchatka .

Plants robust, to 20 cm tall. Petiole broadly winged, probably suffused purplish, tunic absent. Leaves ± mid-green, subglabrous, oblanceolate in outline, usually 7–9 (–12) × (1.0–) 1.5–2 cm, later leaves undivided, dentate, middle leaves pinnatilobed to pinnatifid, usually with 2–3 pairs of deltoid or broadly deltoid, patent, acute lateral segments, distal margin straight, entire or with 1–2 little triangular teeth, proximal margin straight, entire; terminal segment most often ± triangular, acute, with deltoid basal lobules, ± entire; interlobes short and broad, ca. 4–10 mm wide, ± entire. Scapes brownish green, arachnoid distally, overtopping leaves. Capitulum yellow, ca. 3.5–4.0 cm wide. Involucre dark, blackish green, ca. 9 mm wide and broadly rounded at base. Outer phyllaries numerous, ca. 15–19, appressed to loosely appressed, not imbricate, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, ca. 8.0–10.5 × 1.1–3.1 mm, surface ± evenly black-green, with a distinct whitish, or indistinct membranous border usually (0.1–) 0.3–0.4 (–0.5) mm wide, margin ± glabrous, apex with ± black horns ca. 1 mm long, horns sometimes absent; inner phyllaries blackish olivaceous-green, ca. 15–18 mm long, corniculate. Outer ligules ± flat, only very faintly striped pale purplish, or unstriped, outside, teeth purplish or almost yellow. Stigmas dark discoloured. Pollen present, pollen grains irregular in size. Achenes unknown. – Agamospermous. – Fig. 74 .

Diagnostic notes:— Taraxacum kljutschevskoanum is characterized by numerous, dark, lanceolate, relatively very long outer phyllaries with a relatively distinct border, outer ligules almost unstriped, and relatively dark stigmas. The missing achenes make a comparison with other taxa rather difficult but the closest species, T. abhorrens and T. evittatum have lighter discoloured stigmas, less numerous and, on average, shorter outer phyllaries, the former also of a substantially different leaf shape.

Distribution:—The protologue is based on a single, well developed flowering specimen from Klyuchevskaya Sopka, Kamchatka. During the present study, T. kljutschevskoanum was found to occur also west of the type locality, in the Bystrinskiy District.

Specimens examined:—[ RUSSIA, Kamchatskiy Kray] Bystrinskiy District, Smerennyy Khrebet, along a path from the Nadeka Pass towards Vechnoy Brook , ca. 900 m, 29 Jun 2014, K. G. Klimova ( KAM, no. det. 36779). – Commander Islands , Bering Island , Nikol’skoe , 14 Jun 1989, collector unknown ( MSKU, no. det. 36776). – Less certain identification:— RUSSIA. Kamchatka, eastern coast, Karaginskiy District , valley of R. Tymlat , little brook of Malyy Rozhik , 3 Aug 2011, O. Chernyagina ( KAM, no. det. 36917). – Bystrinskiy District , 56°26.204’N, 157°46.815’E, 907 m, [ V. V. Buryy] (herb. V. V. Buryy, no. det. 36934) .

Figures

FIGURE 74. Taraxacum kljutschevskoanum. Both images from LE, no. det. 6048. Scale bar = 3 cm. Involucre on the left partly damaged by a removal of several phyllaries.