枣红蒲公英 zao hong pu gong ying

Type: China. Xinjiang: "Tian Shan [天山]: praeruptus alveus fluminis Houxia [后峡] dictus," May 1999, P. Sekerka, D. Y. Zhan & V. Huml s.n., cultivated as JŠ 7381 (holotype, PRA; isotypes, MO, PE, PRA).

Plantae graciles, foliis dissectis, lobis lateralibus patentibus vel subrecurvis, phyllariis involucralibus exterioribus 10 ad 13 saturate viridibus vel atro-viridibus, (3-)5-6 mm longis, 2.2-4 mm latis, peranguste albomarginatis, stigmatibus pallide griseo-viridibus, antheris polline carentibus, acheniis brunneis vel castaneo-brunneis, 3.2-3.8 mm longis, 0.7-0.8 mm latis, in pyramidem 0.6-0.8 mm longam cylindricam subabrupte abeuntibus.

Herbs 8-11 cm tall. Petiole green or purplish brown, narrow, sparsely arachnoid; leaf blade mid-green, linear-oblanceolate, 3.5-8 × 0.7-1.3 cm, sparsely arachnoid, deeply pinnatisect, midrib green to pinkish and ± glabrous; lateral lobes 4 or 5 pairs, narrowly triangular to linear-triangular, ca. 5 × 2 mm, patent to subrecurved, distal margin convex or straight and entire or sparsely dentate; interlobes narrow, margin usually denticulate; terminal lobe narrowly triangular to 3-partite, margin entire. Scapes brownish or purplish green, overtopping leaves, sparsely arachnoid. Capitulum to 2.5 cm wide. Involucre 7-8 mm wide, base rounded. Outer phyllaries 10-13, imbricate, ovate to broadly ovate, outermost ones (3-)5-6 × 2.2-4 mm and 1/3-1/2 as long as inner ones, appressed, margin ciliate, apex ± flat; inner phyllaries 1-1.4 cm, apex blackish callose or flat. Ligules yellow; outer ligules flat, striped purplish gray outside; inner ligules with yellow or gray apical teeth. Stigmas light grayish green. Anthers without pollen. Achene pure brown or castaneous brown, 3.2-3.8 × 0.7-0.8 mm; body subdensely spinulose in upper ca. 1/4, subabruptly narrowing into a ± cylindric 0.6-0.8 mm cone; beak ca. 6 mm. Pappus white, 4-5 mm. Fl. spring. Agamosperm.

● Dry gravelly slopes, dry grasslands; 500-1000 m. Xinjiang (Tian Shan).

Taraxacum dissectum (Ledebour) Ledebour and T. compactum Schischkin differ from T. spadiceum in fruit color and in having broadly bordered outer phyllaries. The former two species and T. collinum Candolle are polliniferous. Taraxacum pawlodarskum Doll from Kazakhstan has a very different leaf shape and fruit color, and T. ustamenum Doll from Kazakhstan has a different fruit color and outer phyllary shape. The latter species belongs to T. sect. Erythrosperma and has distinctly corniculate phyllaries.