新源蒲公英 xin yuan pu gong ying

Herbs 5-18 cm tall. Petiole ± purplish, narrow; leaf blade mid-green, ± broadly oblanceolate, 4-10 × 1.5-3.5 cm, sparsely arachnoid but later glabrescent, deeply pinnatisect; lateral lobes 3-5, ± triangular to triangular-deltoid, subpatent to ± recurved, distal margin convex and entire or with 1 or 2 teeth; interlobes broad, margin dentate and/or lobulate; terminal lobe triangular to helmet-shaped, margin ± entire. Scapes greenish, ± overtopping leaves, sparsely arachnoid but densely so below capitulum. Involucre 6-7 mm wide, base ± rounded. Outer phyllaries 12-15, pale green, not imbricate, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, outermost ones ca. 6 × 2-3 mm and 2/5-1/2 as long as inner ones, ± patent, margin glabrous to sparsely ciliate, flat below apex; inner phyllaries 0.9-1.2 cm, apically flat. Ligules yellow; outer ligules flat, outside faintly striped grayish; floret tube outside glabrous. Stigmas discolored. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains regular in size. Achene grayish straw-colored brown, ca. 2.5 × 0.8-0.9 mm; body ± smooth below, apically spinulose, ± abruptly narrowing into a thick subconic 0.2-0.3 mm cone; beak ca. 5 mm. Pappus white, 5-6 mm. Fl. spring and summer. Sexual. 2n = 16*

● Gravelly slopes, roadsides; ca. 1500 m. Xinjiang.

Taraxacum xinyuanicum is the first sexual taxon recognized within T. sect. Qaisera.