小花蒲公英 xiao hua pu gong ying

Taraxacum himalaicum Soest.

Herbs 5-10 cm tall, small. Petiole pale green to pinkish, arachnoid at base, narrow to narrowly ± winged; leaf blade pale grayish green, oblanceolate to broadly oblanceolate, 4-9 × 1.2-2 cm, almost glabrous, pinnatilobed; lateral lobes in 1-3 pairs, triangular to deltoid, recurved, margin ± entire; interlobes long, margin ± entire; terminal lobe triangular-sagittate, margin entire, apex ± acute. Scapes brownish green, ± equaling leaves, arachnoid. Capitulum 1.5-2.5 cm wide. Involucre 6-8 mm wide, base broadly subconic to ± rounded. Outer phyllaries 8-10, pale grayish green, ± imbricate, ± lanceolate or narrowly so, outermost ones (4-)4.5-5.5 × (1.5-)1.8-2.3 mm and 1/3-1/2 as long as inner ones, appressed, narrow middle part blackish green, border getting paler from pale greenish near middle to whitish green near margin and 0.2-0.3 mm wide, margin subglabrous, apex bordered pinkish and ± flat; inner phyllaries 1-1.2 cm, apex ± flat. Ligules yellow; outer ligules outside faintly striped grayish pink. Stigmas yellow to pale grayish yellow. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains ± regular in size. Achene pale brownish orange, 3.8-4.6 × 0.8-0.9 mm; body ± smooth below, subsparsely spinulose above, apically gradually narrowing into a subcylindric (0.8-)1-1.2(-1.4) mm cone, spinules short and thin; beak ca. 6 mm. Pappus white, 6-7 mm. Fl. late spring to summer. Predominantly sexual.

Grassland slopes, pastures, river terraces; 2000-4500 m. Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal].

The report of Taraxacum parvulum from Xinjiang is based on the report by Soest (Wentia 10: 38. 1963). The reports from NE Qinghai and N Shanxi (FRPS 80(2): 26. 1999; Higher Pl. China 11: 772. 2005) are incorrect.