Type:— ALBANIA. Cikes, from Llogara Pass towards the main top, calcareous crevices, 1180 m, 40°12’00’’N 19°35’51’’E, 9.VII.2012, Conti, Manilla s.n. (holotype APP 49304, isotype APP 49303).

Perennial with taproot from which a rosette with few or numerous almost glabrous herbaceous erect stems arise. Stem 30–40 cm high, weakly sulcate, divaricately branched, with usually one long, upward-directed branch, terminating in a capitulum. Leaves flat, green or glaucous and brownish spotted, oblong-linear to linear; sinuate-lobate or ± undivided, some leaves runcinate; spinulose-denticulate or spinulose along margin; lower leaves semiamplexicaul 6.8–11.4 × 0.6– 2.1 cm, clustered in a rosette, sometimes withered and not visible during the anthesis, upper leaves reduced, sessile. Capitula 1–2(–3) per stem. Involucre campanulate-cylindrical or campanulate, 8.5–20 mm long; phyllaries (three-) four-rowed, herbaceous, green; scarious along margin 0.4–0.9 mm wide, glabrous; inner (longest) phyllaries subobtuse with barbules of very thin and short hairs. Corolla light yellow. Achenes polymorphic: outer achenes prismatic or campanulate, four-angled, 3.2–4.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm, dark brown, with four longitudinal furrows, transversely rugose; tubercles disappearing gradually; innermost achenes light or stramineous, ± smooth; pappus 8–12 mm, almost entirely smooth.

Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to Albania.

Distribution and habitat:— Reichardia albanica is known only from Mount Çika (Albanian: Mali i Çikës) in southern Albania (Fig. 6). It is part of the vegetation of xerophilous rocky grounds (Festuco-Brometea) and open Pallas pine (Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana) and Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii) woodlands‚ on carbonate substrate, at altitudes between 1000 and 1700 m a.s.l.

Taxonomic relationship:—The closest relatives are R. dichotoma and R. macrophylla. The new species differs from R. dichotoma by its habit (it is usually smaller), leaves sometimes green and narrower, petioles not winged, and outer phyllaries not curved at the apex. From R. macrophylla it differs mainly by the shape and size of leaves, colour of corolla, a narrower involucre and phyllaries (see Table 1).

Additional original specimens examined: — Mali i Cikes. Llogara, 40.196560 N, 19.601160 E, rocky places, limestone, 1115 m, 26.06.2011, Lakušić, Kuzmanović, Lazarević, Alegro s.n. (BEOU 32475); ibidem (BEOU 32593); Mali i Cikes. Llogara, 40.198797 N, 19.60164 E, Sesleria albanica-Erica manipuliflora rocky grounds, limestone, 1210 m, 23.06.2015, Conti, Lakušić, Di Pietro, Kuzmanović, Stinca, Đurović, Janković, Pennesi 39746 (APP; BEOU); Mali i Cikes. slopes of Maja e Qorrës, 40.207404 N, 19.599759 E, Pinus heldreichii forest, limestone, 1517 m, 23.06.2015, Conti, Lakušić, Di Pietro, Kuzmanović, Stinca, Đurović, Janković, Pennesi 39747 (APP; BEOU).