斑点蒲公英 ban dian pu gong ying

Type: China. Sichuan: "Sikang [西康], Kangting [康定] (Tachienlu), mont. occid., in prato aprico, graminoso," 3200 m, 15 Jul 1934, H. Smith 10470 (holotype, UPS; isotype, PRA).

Paratypes: China. Sichuan: "Sikang [西康], Kangting [康定] (Tachienlu) distr., Tapaoshan," 4500 m, H. Smith 10463 (UPS).

Plantae sexuales foliis plerumque profunde pinnatisectis, phyllariis involucralibus exterioribus lineari-triangularibus attenuatis, ± planis, dense ciliatis, ± immarginatis, stigmatibus viridibus, acheniis stramineo-brunneis usque atro-badiis, usque ad 5.2 mm longis, 1.1-1.4 mm crassis, pyramide cylindrica, usque ad 1.9 mm longa.

Herbs 6-15 cm tall, slender. Petiole green but grayish purple at very base, unwinged; leaf blade mid-green, narrowly oblanceolate in outline, 3-9 × 0.8-1.9 cm, sparsely arachnoid, usually pinnatisect but sometimes almost undivided, midvein usually pale green; lateral lobes 3-7 pairs, usually linear-triangular, to 9 mm, subpatent to recurved, distal margin usually sigmoid and entire; interlobes usually short, narrow; terminal lobe narrowly triangular-sagittate, terminal segment often elongated and 2-2.5 cm and margin entire. Scapes pale brownish green, equaling to overtopping leaves, usually densely arachnoid. Capitulum 2-4 cm wide. Involucre 5-6 mm wide, base obconic. Outer phyllaries 10-16, green to blackish green, ± not imbricate, linear to linear-triangular with attenuate apex, outermost ones 3.5-6.5 × 0.7-1.2 mm and 1/3-2/5 as long as inner ones, ± appressed, some recurved at apex, ± unbordered or indistinctly bordered, margin densely ciliate, apex ± flat to callose; inner phyllaries 1.1-1.5 cm, apex ± flat. Ligules (pale) yellow; outer ligules ± flat, outside striped grayish pink; inner ligules with long teeth grayish purple at apex. Stigmas green. Anthers polliniferous; pollen grains regular in size. Achene pale brown to blackish brown, 4.8-5.2 × 1.1-1.4 mm; body usually ± smooth below, distally with erect acute subsparse spinules, ± abruptly narrowing into a cylindric 1.2-1.9 mm cone; beak ca. 7 mm. Pappus yellowish white, ca. 5 mm. Fl. summer. Sexual.

● Alpine meadows and grasslands; 3200-4500 m. W Sichuan.

Taraxacum macula is another sexual representative of T. sect. Emodensia. It is distinct in having an unusually long cylindric cone; outer phyllaries very narrow, distally attenuate, and densely ciliate; and, as a rule, distinctly pinnatisect leaves.