塔塔加龍膽

Gentiana squarrosa var. tatakensis (Masamune) Ying, Quart. J. Exp. Forest N. T. U. 3(2): 94. 1989.

Annual herbs. Stems usually branched, brownish purple to reddish purple, densely scabrous, 2-7 cm tall. Leaves aristate-acuminate at apices, slightly scabrous along margins; radical leaves ovate, 7-10 mm long, 4-5 mm wide; cauline-leave shape almost same to radical-leave but smaller in size, 3-4 mm long, 2-3 mm wide; sheaths about 0.5 mm long. Flowers pedicellate, solitary on terminal branches; pedicels short, usually less than 2 mm long; calyx-tube campanulate, 2-3 mm long, with 5 slightly scabrous costae, 5-lobed, the lobes linear, 1-1.5 mm long, with obscurely erose costae, almost entire along margins; corolla tubular-campanulate, white or slightly purplish white, with light brown spots in the throat, 7-8 mm long, with 5 lobes; the lobes acutely ovate, 2 mm long, aristate-acuminate at apices, sinuses plicate with ovate-triangular appendages, appendages acute or cuspidate near apices; stamens 5, the anthers oblong, about 1 mm long, the filaments 4-5 mm long, attached slightly above the lower-part of corolla-tube; ovary stipitate, lanceolate to narrow ovate, 3-4 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, stipe about 1 mm long, style about 1 mm long, the stigma bifurcate and spirally recurved at bloom. Capsules obovoid, about 4 mm long, 3 mm wide, with long stipes about 15 mm long, partly exserted beyond the persistent corolla. Seeds ovoid, with minutely longitudinal reticulate-striae, about 0.9 mm long, about 0.5 mm wide.

TYPE: Taiwan, ca. Tataka, inter Rokurinsan et Niitaka-sita, Masamune 3759, 1924 (holotype: TAI!）.

NANTOU HSIEN: Kuankao to Patungkuan, elev. ca. 2650-3000m, Peng 8132 (HAST); Patungkuan, Huang 1539 (TNU); same loc., elev. ca. 2800m, Yang s. n. Jul. 12, 1993 (TAI). CHIAYI HSIEN: Yushan, Chang 26890 (PPI); Tataka, Masamune 3808 (TAI); same loc., Masamune 3822 (TAI); Tatachiaanpu, Huang 2218 (TNU); en route to Yushan, elev. ca. 2700-3400m, Huang 14258 (TAI); same loc., elev. ca. 3400-3900m, Huang 14290 (TAI); Paiyunshanchuang, Hsu 6257; Tataka to Paiyunshanchuang, Yamazaki 837 (TAI); Tatachiaanpu to Paiyunshanchuang, same loc., elev. ca. 3300-3550m, C. H. Chen 1397 (TNU); same loc., elev. ca. 3300-3500m, C. H. Chen 1419 (TNU). TAITUNG HSIEN: Takuanshan, elev. ca. 2600-3200m, Peng 11752 (HAST). PINGTUNG HSIEN: Peitawushan, elev. ca. 3000m, C. H. Chen s. n. Aug. 1997.

Distribution and habitat. Endemic to Taiwan, fragmentally found on shady to semishady grasslands in the central and southern part of Central Mountain Range, at elevations from 2,500 to 3,500 m. Flowering and fruiting Jul-Sep.

Notes. According to the description of Masamune (1943), the species had plenty of branches which gathered densely and had campanulate corolla that was pale purple inside. From experiences of field, these characters exhibited above are unstable. The branches usually stretch when it grows in grassland and the color of corolla is slightly pale purple and nearly white especially in shady area. However, a combination of the minor plant with tiny flowers, linear-triangular calyx-lobes, and narrower corolla tube could distinguish this species from remainder of Taiwanese Gentiana. Only collecting location was described, no altitude data was reported by Masamune (1943). Liu & Kuo (1974, 1978) considered that the range of altitude was from 1400 to 2400m. According to examination of specimens from Taiwanese herbaria, the distribution of the species is almost higher than 2500m at elevation.