Taraxacum latisquameum Dahlstedt (1926b: 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 : 135-136

59. Taraxacum latisquameum Dahlstedt (1926b: 9)

Type:—[ RUSSIA, Kamchatka] In monte eruptivo Mutnovskaja , 1400 m, 29 Jul 1922, E . Hultén 4054 ( S, syntype, n. v.). – Kamtchatka, Malka, under Salix macrolepis on the bank of Bystraja river , 27 Jul 1924, P. T . Novograblenov 662 ( S 12-27451 !, syntype) .

Etymology:—With broad phyllaries.

Plants medium-sized, to ca. 20 cm tall. Petiole narrow, ± unwinged, purplish, tunic absent. Leaves ± mid-green, narrowly oblanceolate in outline, usually 10–13 × 2–3 cm, to 30 cm in taller vegetation, pinnatipartite, with 2–4 pairs of deltoid-triangular, subrecurved lateral segments, distal margin ± straight, ± entire, proximal margin straight, entire or with a single basal tooth; terminal segment usually broadly triangular; interlobes broad, entire or with a single short tooth; mid-vein purplish. Scapes brownish green, suffused purplish, sparsely arachnoid, overtopping leaves. Capitulum yellow, ca. 4.5 cm wide. Involucre blackish olivaceous-green, ca. 12–13 mm wide and ± truncate at base. Outer phyllaries numerous, ca. 15–17, appressed, subimbricate, broadly ovate to ovate, ca. 8–10 × 3.0– 4.5 mm, surface ± evenly blackish olivaceous-green, with a black middle line, border ± whitish, very narrow, to 0.1–0.2 mm wide, margin ± ciliate, apex usually black corniculate, less often with a short horn; inner phyllaries ca. 13–16 mm long, corniculate or with short horns, blackish olivaceous-green. Outer ligules ± flat, striped grey-pink or purplish outside. Stigmas deep discoloured. Pollen absent or very sparse. Achenes unknown. – Fig. 95 .

Diagnostic notes:—Only a rather scanty material was available for the above description, and we had to rely on the protologue in many respects. Taraxacum latisquameum is characterized by a broad involucre base and numerous, appressed, broadly ovate to ovate, dark blackish outer phyllaries with a very narrow border. New gatherings from Kamchatka (Bystrinskiy District) are well developed plants (again without ripe achenes); they have a lower number of outer phyllaries than the material on Fig. 95 , pollen is absent or very sparse.

Distribution:—Originally known from southern Kamchatka, and the new material extends this range to central part of the peninsula.

Specimens examined:— RUSSIA. Kamchatka, Bystrinskiy District, N of the Ichinskaya Sopka volcano, rocks near the upper stream of Studenoy Brook , a tributary of Galdavit’ River , 1193 m, 29 Jul 2015, V. V. Buryy T001 (herb. V. V. Buryy, no. det. 36909). – Bystrinskiy District , SW. of the Ichinskaya Sopka volcano, 55°33.989’ N, 157°27.561’ E, 1643 m, 7 Aug 2017, V. V. Buryy (herb. V. V. Buryy, no. det. 36940) .

Figures

FIGURE 95. Taraxacum latisquameum. A detail of involucre (S 12-27451, syntype). Scale bar = 5 mm.