拉萨蒲公英 la sa pu gong ying

Herbs 12-15 cm tall, base often thickened by remnants of old petioles. Petiole pale green, ± unwinged; leaf blade mid-green to slightly grayish green, narrowly oblanceolate to broadly linear in outline, 10-13 × 1.5-1.8 cm, sparsely arachnoid, pinnatilobed to pinnatisect but some almost undivided, midvein pale green; lateral lobes of inner leaves 3-5 pairs, linear-triangular, narrow, usually ± patent to recurved, margin entire or distal side with a single tooth on base; interlobes long, narrow, to 1.5 × 0.3 cm, margin entire; terminal lobe subobtuse, margin usually entire, basal segments ± patent. Scapes brownish green, ± equaling leaves, sparsely arachnoid to subglabrous. Capitulum 2-2.5 cm wide. Involucre 7-10 mm wide, base ± rounded. Outer phyllaries (11-)13-19, blackish green, ± not imbricate, linear-lanceolate, outermost ones 5-8 × 1.3-2 mm and ca. 3/4 as long as inner ones, ± appressed, with a whitish narrow ca. 0.4 mm border, margin glabrous to sparsely ciliate, apex with a conspicuous horn; inner phyllaries 1-1.2 cm, callose below apex. Ligules yellow; outer ligules flat, outside striped pinkish gray; inner ligules with grayish purple teeth. Stigmas slightly grayish or greenish pale yellow. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains irregular in size. Achene light gray straw-colored brown when unripe but later getting darker and becoming blackish gray(-brown), 4.5-5.9 × 1.1-1.4 mm; body spinulose in upper 1/2-3/5 on ridges and apically also elsewhere, ± subgradually narrowing into a cylindric 1-1.5 mm cone, spinules thick and acute; beak 4-5.5 mm. Pappus ± white, ca. 6 mm. Fl. late spring. Agamosperm.

● Disturbed grasslands; 3500-3600 m. Xizang.

Reports of Taraxacum sherriffii from Qinghai (FRPS 80(2): 66. 1999; Higher Pl. China 11: 785. 2005) and NW Yunnan (FRPS 80(2): 66. 1999) need revision.

In the region of Lhasa, Xizang, sexual plants similar to Taraxacum sherriffii are found. They are characterized by obconic involucre and smaller and paler achenes. Further study is needed.