剑叶蒲公英 jian ye pu gong ying

Type: China. Sichuan: "Sikang [西康], Kangting [康定] (Tachienlu) distr., Tapaoshan, east range," 4100 m, 24 Aug 1934, H. Smith 11547 (holotype, UPS).

Paratypes: China. Sichuan: H. Smith 11243 (UPS); H. Smith 10711:3 (UPS).

Plantae graciles, foliis angustis lobo terminali elongato, scapis glabris, involucris aterrimis paucisquamosis glaberrimis, ligulis apice conspicue dentatis, stigmatibus atris, antheris polliniferis polline irregulari, acheniis obscure griseo-brunneis, magnis, grosse spinulosis.

Herbs 7-14 cm tall. Petiole long, narrow; leaf blade mid-green, linear-oblanceolate, 6-9(-12) × 0.5-0.9(-1.1) cm, ± glabrous, margin remotely lobulate or shallowly lobed; lateral segments in 1 or 2(or 3) pairs, subpatent to recurved; terminal lobe elongated, apex subobtuse. Scapes pale brownish green, slightly overtopping leaves, glabrous. Capitulum 3-3.5 cm wide. Involucre blackish, 5-7 mm wide, base narrowly rounded to slightly obconic. Outer phyllaries 5-9, black but often with a reddish apex, subimbricate, ovate-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, outermost ones 4.2-6 × 1.8-2.6 mm and 1/3-2/5 as long as inner ones, ± appressed, glabrous, paler border absent, apex flat; inner phyllaries blackish, 1.1-1.4 cm. Ligules (?pale) yellow; outer ligules flat, outside striped grayish pink; inner ligules with (probably) dark blackish 0.5-1 mm teeth. Stigmas blackish. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains irregular in size. Achene dark brownish gray but reddish ochraceous when unripe, 5.2-5.3 × 1.1-1.2 mm; body subsparsely spinulose and sometimes also apically squamulose, apically subabruptly narrowing into a conic 0.7-0.8 mm cone, spinules subsparse, to 0.7 mm, thin, erect, and acute; beak (when unripe) more than 4 mm. Pappus white, 5.5-6.5 mm. Fl. late summer. Agamosperm.

● Alpine meadows; 4100-4500 m. W Sichuan.

Among members of this section, Taraxacum mastigophyllum is distinct in having glabrous scapes and leaves, outer phyllaries very few and glabrous (not ciliate), leaves narrow with an elongated terminal lobe (the leaf shape resembles a common one in T. sect. Emodensia), and achenes with unusually long sparse spinules above.