Taraxacum hamosius Doll (1978: 636)

Štěpánek, Jan & Kirschner, Jan, 2022, A hotspot of endemism: Oreophytic Taraxacum species (Compositae, Crepidinae) in the mountains of Bulgaria, Phytotaxa 569 (1), pp. 1-139 : 103-105

. Taraxacum hamosius Doll (1978: 636) ; originally published as “hamosium”, corrected in Kirschner, Štěpánek & Greuter (2008: 766)

Type:— Flora von Bulgarien, Rila-Gebirge, Borovez, Sessellift., 11 Jul 1976, R. Doll ( JE, no. det. 19257, holotype; isotype: JE, no. det. 19258) .

Exsiccates:— Taraxaca Exs., no. 1099–1102 (under the name of T. hyoseris , ined.).

Etymology:—More hooked (derived from Latin, hamosus, hooked).

Plants medium-sized, usually 12–18 cm tall. Plant base without tunic, without indumentum among petiole bases. Petiole usually winged, broadly so in outer leaves, usually suffused pink-purple. Leaves patent to erect-patent, light green, with very sparse, irregular, brown-purple spots 1–2 mm wide, mainly on middle and distal leaf segments, with scattered, relatively coarse, arachnoid hairs on both surfaces, more densely arachnoid on the mid-vein, narrowly oblong or narrowly oblanceolate in outline, usually 7–20 × 2–5 cm, pinnatisect, terminal segment relatively small, broadly triangular to broadly helmet-shaped, with sagittate to subhastate base, acute to mucronate, distal margin convex to sigmoid, entire, basal lobules recurved, seldom ± patent, sometimes overlapping the neighbouring segment‘s distal part, proximal margin ± straight to subsigmoid, entire; lateral segments numerous, (5) 6–7 pairs, approximated in outer and middle leaves, hamate-recurved to bird-wing-like or ± triangular, usually 1–2.5 cm long, 0.7–1.5 cm wide at base, apex acute to acuminate, recurved, distal margin convex, sometimes sigmoid, usually with a single thin acuminate tooth (to 6 mm long) ± in the middle, sometimes entire, proximal margin concave, sometimes ± sigmoid to ± straight, entire or with a single triangular tooth near the base; lateral segments of inner leaves longer (to 3.5 cm), narrowly triangular, subhamate, more distinctly dentate; interlobes short, usually 2–7 × 3–6 mm, blotched brown-purple but not conspicuously, margins ± raised, entire or with a few little filiform teeth; mid-vein conspicuously coloured pink to pink-purple. Scapes medium densely floccose-arachnoid, initially pale greenish with basal part pinkish, later getting more deeply purplish to bronze, most often overtopping leaves, sometimes subequalling them. Capitulum golden yellow, 3.5–4.5 cm wide, flat. Involucre broadly obconical to almost truncate and 7–8 mm wide at base, substantially broadening during ripening. Outer phyllaries 15–19, relatively regularly arranged, ± patent at anthesis, sometimes sigmoid or straight and subrecurved, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, 6–8.5 × 2.5–3 (–3.5) mm, adaxially very pale greyish green, apically, later wholly suffused purple, adaxial surface medium dark greyish olivaceous-green, slightly pruinose, with an indistinct, paler green or purplish border 0.1–0.2 mm wide, apex flat; inner phyllaries medium light (olivaceous-)green, ca. 12 mm long, of ± equal width, apex flat, black-purple. Outer ligules flat, striped purplish greyolivaceous outside, apical teeth reddish, inner ligules dense, canaliculate, their apical teeth yellow or greyish. Stigmas light discoloured, light yellow-green, pubescence hairs distally blackish. Pollen present, pollen grains irregular in size. Achenes medium light greyish stramineous-brown (dark stramineous), (3.5–) 3.7–4.3 × (0.8–) 0.9–1.0 mm, body densely shortly squamulose and spinulose in upper 1/3–1/4 (–1/2), subabruptly narrowing into a narrowly conical or subcylindrical cone (0.6–) 0.7–0.9 (–1.0) mm; beak 6–8 mm long, pappus white, 5.5–7 mm long. – Agamosperm. – Fig. 58 , 59 , 60C .

Diagnostic notes:—A very distinctive species, not close to any other Bulgarian member of T. sect. Rhodocarpa (= T. sect. Alpestria). Its leaf shape remotely resembles that of Hyoseris lucida Linnaeus (1767: 103) by the numerous, approximated, or even overlapping leaf segments. It possesses a number of distinctive features, such as hamaterecurved leaf segments, sparse brown-purple spots on distal leaf segments, hairy leaves, conspicuously coloured midvein, narrow, regularly arranged, patent, almost unbordered outer phyllaries, and relatively short, ± densely minutely squamulose and spinulose achenes. As regards the leaf shape, it can be compared with T. iucundum Štěpánek & Kirschner but their achenes are very different.

Distribution and habitat:—A species widely distributed in the Bulgarian mountain ranges, having been recorded from Stara Planina, Rhodopes, Vitosha and Rila. It grows in montane and subalpine belts on mountain grasslands, usually ± disturbed in the vicinity of mountain chalets and along tracks, usually between 1550 and 2350 m. Its IUCN conservation status is estimated as LC.

Specimens examined:— BULGARIA. Stara Planina, between Zlatiško-Tetevenska planina and Trojanska planina, Teteven , village of Ribarica , Mt. Vežen , near the Echo Chalet , 1600–1650 m, 42° 46’ N, ca. 24° 28’ E, 21 Jul 1998, J. Štěpánek, R. Bělohlávková, V. D. Vladimirov & D. Petkova, cultivated as JŠ 6874 ( PRA, no. det. 23913) ; Ibidem, JŠ 6876 ( PRA, no. det. 23897) ; Ibidem, JŠ 6877 ( PRA, no. det. 23903), Ibidem, JŠ 7565 ( PRA, no. det. 23899) ; Ibidem, JŠ 7567 ( PRA, no. det. 23912). – Trojanska planina, Trojan , NW. slopes of Mt. Baljova planina, ca. 2 km E. of Mt. Kozja stena (1670 m), granite, 42° 47’ N, ca. 24° 34’ E, 1550–1600 m, 21 Jul 1998, J. Štěpánek, R. Bělohlávková, V. D. Vladimirov & D. Petkova, cultivated as JŠ 7553 ( PRA, no. det. 23898) ; Ibidem, JŠ 7554 ( PRA, no. det. 23904) . – Vitosha, Sofia, near the Kumata Chalet, ca. 1600 m, 4 Jul 1984, A. Chrtková, cultivated as JŠ 2156 ( PRA, no. det. 23896). – Vitoša, Mt. Malk Rezen (2191 m), NE. slopes, ca. 2000 m, 27 Jul 1998, R. Bělohlávková, cultivated as TaB 47 ( PRA, no. det. 23910). – Vitoša , area of “ Tri kladenci”, along a path near Konjarnika , ca. 1750–1800 m, ca. 42° 34–35’ N, ca. 23° 17’ E, 27 Jul 1998, J. Štěpánek, cultivated as JŠ 6929 ( PRA, no. det. 23902). – Dragalevci, NE. slope of montis Mt. Malak Rezen (2191 m), Meča poljana, ca. 42° 34’ N, ca. 23° 18’ E, 1850–1950 m, 27 Jul 1998, J. Štěpánek, cultivated as JŠ 6907 ( PRA, no. det. 23900) ; Ibidem, JŠ 6909 ( PRA, no. det. 23901) . – Rila, Samokov, Borovec, Musalenski ezera, near the Musala Chalet (2389 m), 9 Aug 1990, J. Štěpánek & B. Kuzmanov, cultivated as JŠ 4286 ( PRA, no. det. 23911) ; Ibidem, JŠ 4824 ( PRA, no. det. 23908); Ibidem, JŠ 4828 ( PRA, no. det. 23907). – Borovec , forest path, 8 Jul 1976, R. Doll ( JE, no. det. 19050). – Borovec , chairlift, 11 Jul 1976, R. Doll ( JE, no. det. 19257) . – Rhodopes, Čepelare, the Mursalica Mts., village of Široka Laka , between Gela and Lednicata, limestone, 41° 39’ N, ca. 24° 33’ E, ca. 1500 m, 23 Jul 1998, J. Štěpánek, R. Bělohlávková, V. D. Vladimirov & D. Petkova, cultivated as JŠ 6880 ( PRA, no. det. 23905) ; Ibidem, JŠ 6881 ( PRA, no. det. 23906). – Rodopi , Čepelare, the Prespa Mts. , village of Manastir, near the reservoir, area of Ovčarsko grobe, 41° 41’ N, ca. 24° 49’ E, ca. 1620 m, 25 Jul 1998, J. Štěpánek, R. Bělohlávková, V. D. Vladimirov & D. Petkova, cultivated as JŠ 7025 ( PRA, no. det. 23909). – Less certain identification: Vitoša , slopes W. of the Aleko Chalet, ca. 1800 m, 3 Jun 1988, J. Kirschner & B. Kuzmanov, cultivated as JŠ 2933 ( PRA, no. det. 36006) .

Figures

FIGURE 58. Taraxacum hamosius. General habit (PRA, no. det. 23902). Scale bar = 2 cm.

FIGURE 59. Taraxacum hamosius. Achenes (from left to right: JŠ 4824, JŠ 6907, JŠ 7567). Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 60. Achenes of the Bulgarian members of Taraxacum sect. Rhodocarpa. A, T. musteum (PRA, no. det. 35757, holotype); B, T. fragile (PRA, no. det. 36076, isotype); C, T. hamosius (PRA, no. det. 23898); D, T. serenum (PRA, no. det. 26113, isotype). Scale bars = 1 mm.