Taraxacum incantatum Stepanek & Kirschner 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Štěpánek, Jan
name: Kirschner, Jan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Asterales
Asteraceae
Taraxacum
Taraxacum incantatum

description: 4. Taraxacum incantatum Štěpánek & Kirschner, sp. nov.   
 Type:— Bulgaria, montes Pirin, opp. Bansko, vallis flum. Demjanica, locis humidis ad fontem prope viam (= via turistica caerulee signata) in fundo vallis flum. Demjanica, in loco Demjaniška polana, supra (situ merid.) cataractam Demjaniški skok, ca. 8–9 km situ merid. ab opp. Bansko, ca. 1800–1850 m, 41° 45–46’ N, 23° 28–29’ E, 8 Aug 1997, J. Štěpánek, cultivated as JŠ 9294, collected in 2012 (PRA, no. det. 35754, holotype; isotype: PRA, no. det. 27695, and duplicates).   
 Etymology:—Bewitched, enchanted, cursed (derived from Latin, incanto, incantere, to consecrate with spells).   
 Exsiccates:— Taraxaca Exs., no. 1283–1285.   
  Diagnosis:—Plantae insignes, petiolis pallide purpureis, foliis gramineo-viridibus lobis lateralibus remotis anguste triangularibus patentibus vel subrecurvis, vena mediana pallide brunneo-purpurea, capitulis magnis aureis, phyllariis exterioribus laxe adpressis pallide usque saturate olivaceo-viridibus, acheniis pallide brunneis pyramide brevi notabiles.    
Plants small to medium-sized, 6–10 cm tall. Plant base ± without tunic, almost glabrous among petiole bases. Petiole light purplish, more deeply so along mid-vein, broadly winged (outer leaves) to narrowly winged or unwinged (inner leaves), 1.5–2.5 cm long. Leaves patent to prostrate, mid-green, not spotted, almost glabrous, arachnoid hairs only along mid-vein, oblanceolate, narrowly oblanceolate or narrowly elliptical, usually 5–10 × 1.5–2.5 cm, pinnatisect; terminal segment variously triangular to sagittate-triangular, sometimes trilobed, acute to subacute, distal margin subconcave to subconvex, entire, basal lobules subrecurved to ± patent, sometimes pointing forwards, acute, proximal margin subconcave to ± straight, ± entire; lateral segments relatively remote, in (2) 3–4 pairs, subrecurved to ± patent, sometimes pointing forwards, narrowly deltoid-triangular, often bird-wing-shaped, usually 6–12 mm long, 6–10 mm wide at base, distal margin usually convex to sigmoid, sometimes concave, entire or with a few minute teeth, proximal margin concave to straight, entire; interlobes relatively narrow, most often 5–10 × 2–4 (–5) mm, green, unbordered, margin raised, ± entire or irregularly dentate, often with one of the teeth large, narrow, lobule-like; mid-vein light to deep brownish pink. Scapes suffused light purple or bronze, sparsely arachnoid, shorter than leaves. Capitulum golden yellow, large, ca. 4 cm wide, ± flat. Involucre not pruinose, olivaceous-green, rounded and ca. 8 mm wide at base. Outer phyllaries 18–23, loosely appressed, lanceolate to ovate, very light olivaceous-green (darker when dry), sometimes dark olivaceous-green, darker distally, on the middle line and at the base, sometimes suffused purple in the distal half, with a ± gradual transition in a translucent to whitish-membranous border 0.1–0.3 mm wide, margin irregularly minutely ciliate, apex flat; inner phyllaries ca. 12 mm long, of ± equal width. Outer ligules flat, striped grey-olivaceous outside, apical teeth brownish to reddish grey, inner ligules canaliculate, their apical teeth dark yellow. Stigmas long, medium discoloured, light greyish-greenish, hairs of external pubescence with black apex. Pollen abundant, pollen grains irregular in size. Achenes light brown, (3.6–) 4.0–4.9 × 0.9–1.1 mm, body densely covered with erect-patent, thin spinules up to ca. 0.2 mm long in upper 1/4, subgradually to subabruptly narrowing into a subcylindrical to subconical cone 0.5–0.7 mm long, often with minute spinules at the base; beak (6.5–) 7–8 mm long, pappus whitish to dirty white, 5.5–6 mm long. – Agamosperm. – Fig. 74D, 79.  
 Diagnostic notes:—The characteristic leaf shape of T. incantatum, with relatively narrow, remote, most often ± patent lateral segments, is similar to that of T. pandum. The loosely appressed outer phyllaries with abaxial surface most often relatively light green, and with a gradual transition in the border, are diagnostic, together with the light pure brown achene colour, dense short spinulosity of achene body, and the short cone.   
 Distribution and habitat:— Taraxacum incantatum is known from the Pirin, at about 1800–1850 m. It grows in wet places in the vicinity of a mountain spring. Its IUCN conservation status is estimated as VU.   
 Specimens examined:— BULGARIA. The Pirin, Bansko, Demjanica valley, wet sites near the spring, along the Demjanica river, near Demjaniška polana, above the Demjaniški skok [waterfall], ca. 1800–1850 m, ca. 41° 45–46’ N, 23° 28–29’ E, 8 Aug 1997, J. Štěpánek, cultivated as JŠ 9300 (PRA, no. det. 27694); Ibidem, JŠ 9294 (PRA, no. det. 27695); Ibidem, JŠ 9298 (PRA, no. det. 27696); Ibidem, JŠ 9295 (PRA, no. det. 27697); Ibidem, JŠ 9297 (PRA, no. det. 27698). – Less certain identification: Ibidem, JŠ 9292 (PRA, no. det. 27699).
description: Published as part of Štěpánek, Jan & Kirschner, Jan, 2022, A hotspot of endemism: Oreophytic Taraxacum species (Compositae, Crepidinae) in the mountains of Bulgaria, pp. 1-139 in Phytotaxa 569 (1) on page 130, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.569.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7235182