Taraxacum atrans
Taraxacum atrans is a species of terrestrial, perennial, herb in the family Asteraceae native to the region from central Asia to Mongolia and West Himalaya.
Description
Vegetative characteristics
Taraxacum atrans is a terrestrial, perennial, 6–10 cm tall herb with slender roots. The rosulate, glabrous, oblanceolate, undivided leaves with glabrous, pale green, winged or unwinged petioles are 2–8 cm long, and 3–12 mm wide.
Generative characteristics
The solitary to few brown to green scapes with arachnoid hairs below the capitulum are almost as long as the leaves. The yellow capitulum is 1.5–2 cm wide. The florets are light yellow. Pollen is rarely produced, but if present, the grains are irregularly sized. The achenes are yellowish-brown. The yellowish white pappus is 5.5–6 mm long.
Taxonomy
It was described by Boris Konstantinovich Schischkin in 1964. It has one synonym: Taraxacum pamiricum However, it was remarked that it is difficult to compare Taraxacum atrans to other taxa, because the type specimen does not possess achenes and the description of the achenes in the original publication may refer to unripe achenes or to achenes from another species.
Etymology
The specific epithet atrans means darkening.
Distribution and habitat
It is native to Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Mongolia, Tadzhikistan, Pakistan, and India, where it occurs in alpine pastures, stony slopes, gravel beds, and alpine salt-marshes.
Cultivation
It can be cultivated in moist or well drained, gravelly, humus-rich soil under bright conditions.