白花蒲公英 bai hua pu gong ying

Type: China. Xinjiang: "Turkestania sinensis: in montibus K’un-lun [昆仑山], Keng-shewar, in paludosis ad Aktjok," 27 Jun 1932, N. Ambolt, S. Hedin Expedition 5849b (holotype, S; isotype, S).

Plantae agamospermae foliis linearibus integris vel denticulatis, scapis superne dense araneosis, phyllariis involucralibus exterioribus 11 ad 14, adpressis, aterrimis, ovatis vel ovato-lanceolatis, parte mediana obscure nigrescenti-viridi, marginibus pallidis non evolutis, ligulis exterioribus albis, extus stria atro-rosea notatis, interioribus pallide lutescentibus, antheris polline carentibus, stigmatibus extus nigricantibus.

Herbs to 10 cm tall, slender, perennial. Leaves mid-green but pale green at base, linear, 5-9 × 0.3-0.4 cm, almost glabrous, margin entire, remotely denticulate, or rarely remotely shallowly sublobulate, apex obtuse. Scapes brownish green, to 8 cm, ± equaling leaves, sparsely arachnoid at base but densely arachnoid below capitulum. Capitulum 1.5-3 cm wide. Involucre 5-7 mm wide, base rounded. Outer phyllaries 11-14, black but median part often blackish green, subimbricate, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 3.5-5.5 × 1.6-2.5 mm, appressed, without a paler border, margin not ciliate, apex acute, pale pinkish, and often with small black horn or ± flat; inner phyllaries blackish, narrowly linear, 0.9-1.2 cm, apex corniculate. Outer ligules white or very pale yellowish white but outside striped blackish pink, flat; inner ligules pale yellowish with blackish apical teeth. Anthers without pollen. Stigmas abaxially blackish, adaxially gray, black pubescent. Achene unknown. Agamosperm.

● Wet subsaline meadows; ca. 3800 m. S Xinjiang.

Taraxacum albiflos is distinct in having a blackish involucre, whitish ligules, linear leaves, and anthers without pollen. In T. sect. Leucantha, T. albiflos can be compared with T. candidatum. The latter has green, pale-bordered outer phyllaries and a very sparsely arachnoid scape. Outside of T. sect. Leucantha, T. albiflos is similar to T. staticifolium of T. sect. Tibetana. Taraxacum staticifolium has flat (not corniculate), narrower, and not tightly appressed outer phyllaries with a ciliate margin and also ± yellow ligules.