Ipomoea juliagutierreziae

Wood, John R. I., Munoz-Rodriguez, Pablo, Williams, Bethany R. M. & Scotland, Robert W., 2020, A foundation monograph of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the New World, PhytoKeys 143, pp. 1-823 : 1

116. Ipomoea juliagutierreziae J.R.I. Wood & Scotland, Kew Bull. 70 (31): 68. 2015. (Wood et al. 2015: 68)

Type.

BOLIVIA. Chuquisaca, Prov. Zudañez, Joya Charal, ANMI El Palmar, una hora de la comunidad en el sector denominado Almendras, "ladera expuesta al cerro Mojocoya con presencia de Harrisia, Capparis y Caesalpinia, suelo rocoso con musgos secos en el suelo. Especie creciendo sobre ramas de Leguminosa", 18°35'20"S, 64°50'14"W, 1610 m, J. Gutiérrez, L. Carrillo, N. Paucar & S. Peres-Cortez 2588 (holotype HSB, isotype fragment OXF).

Description.

Liana with white latex to 6 m, stems glabrous with pale brown bark; young plants multi-stemmed, but non-climbing stems eventually dying off. Leaves not present when plant flowering, petiolate, 4-5.5 × 2.5-4.5 cm, ovate, apex usually acute to shortly acuminate but occasionally rounded, minutely mucronate, base shallowly cordate to subtruncate, glabrous, abaxially paler, with prominent reddish-brown lateral veins; petioles 1-3 cm, very slender, glabrous. Inflorescence on raceme-like side branches towards the branch tips; peduncles short, 3 mm, woody, glabrous; bracteoles resembling very small leaves; secondary pedicels 2 mm; pedicels c. 7 mm, widened upwards, glabrous; sepals subequal, 11-13 × 8-9 mm, broadly elliptic, rounded, glabrous, the margins scarious; corolla 5-6 cm long, glabrous, shortly funnel-shaped, white with dark red throat, limb 5.5-6.5 cm diam., unlobed; longer stamens held at corolla mouth, shorter included, anthers c. 5 mm; stigma biglobose. Capsules (immature) ovoid, c.15 mm long, glabrous; seeds (immature) pilose on the margins.

Illustration.

Figure 52E .

Distribution.

Endemic to Bolivia where it is known from xerophytic bushland and dry forest in the Río Grande Valley between 1250 and 1600 m.

BOLIVIA. Chuquisaca: Zudañez, Joya Charal, ANMI El Palmar, J. Gutiérrez al. 2239 (HSB). Cochabamba: Campero, Pasorapa, bajada de Buenavista al Río Grande, C. Antezana 626 (BOLV, CTES). Santa Cruz: Vallegrande, on the ascent from Pampa Negra, J.R.I. Wood et al. 28261 (LPP, OXF, USZ).

Note.

Resembling species in the Arborescens Clade, molecular studies using ITS suggest it is sister to the Arborescens Clade. From Ipomoea pauciflora , I. juliagutierreziae is distinguished by its liana (not tree-like) habit, obtuse to rounded (not acute) outer sepals and bilobed stigma, each lobe subglobose, 1.25 × 1.25 mm (not ellipsoid to cylindrical, 2 × 1 mm). Additionally the leaves and corolla are notably smaller than in typical I. pauciflora .

• The Arborescens Clade (117-126)

Small trees, large shrubs or lianas, copious white latex usually present. Leaves entire, large, the base cordate or truncate, often absent at anthesis. Flowers appearing when plant mostly leafless, few, often clustered on a reduced branchlet forming a subracemose structure; peduncles short, commonly much shorter than the pedicels; bracteoles small, caducous; sepals subequal, large, usually 10-30 mm long, coriaceous, ovate, obtuse, mucronate. Corolla rather large, campanulate to funnel-shaped, white, sometimes with dark purple throat, glabrous or, commonly pubescent on the midpetaline bands; anthers included. Seeds with long white hairs on the angles. Some or all species may be bat pollinated (McDonald 1991).

The species in this clade are not very well-defined but appear to be more easily recognised in the field than in the herbarium. They can be separated by the following key which includes Ipomoea juliagutierreziae .

Figures

Figure 52. Photographs of Ipomoea species. A I. calyptrata B I. carnea subsp. fistulosa C I. brasiliana var. subincana D I. pauciflora E I. juliagutierreziae. A Beth Williams; B, C E John Wood; D Dick Culbert.