Ipomoea queirozii

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

101. Ipomoea queirozii J.R.I. Wood & L.V. Vasconc., Kew Bull. 72 (8): 13. 2017. (Wood et al. 2017a: 13)

Type.

BRAZIL. Bahia: Barreiras, ca. 20 km W de Barreiras na estrada para Brasilia, 12°06'42"S, 45°09'47"W, 581 m, 13 April 2005, L.P. de Queiroz, J.A.Costa, M.N. Stapf & E.B. Souza 10239 (holotype HUEFS95041, isotype OXF).

Description.

Erect subshrub to 1 m from a stout taproot at least 15 cm deep and up to 1.5 cm wide, stems slightly woody, pubescent, glabrescent when old. Leaves very shortly petiolate, 3-18 × 0.3-1.4 cm, but becoming clearly bract-like and much smaller (to 3.5 × 0.3 cm) towards the apex, linear to oblong, finely acuminate to a mucronate apex (rarely obtuse and mucronate), base cuneate to attenuate, margins sometimes inrolled, adaxially almost glabrous apart from a few hairs on the midvein, abaxially grey-green, pubescent, somewhat glabrescent; petioles 0-8 mm, pubescent. Inflorescence terminal, formed of shortly pedunculate 1-3-flowered cymes from the upper leaf (bract)axils, the cymes often reduced to single flowers; peduncles 0.4-1 cm, pubescent; bracteoles 3-11 × 0.5 mm, linear-lanceolate, caducous; pedicels 2-12 mm, often very short upwards, pubescent; sepals subequal, outer 6-10 × 4-8 mm, oblong-elliptic, obtuse to rounded, usually glabrous, margin scarious; inner sepals 1-2 mm longer, obovate-elliptic, truncate or retuse; corolla 4-7 cm long, pink, glabrous, funnel-shaped, limb 3.5-5 cm diam., slightly undulate. Capsules and seed not seen.

Illustration.

Figure 67 .

Distribution.

A cerrado species from the extreme west of Bahia and neighbouring parts of Tocantins State. It has been found at altitudes of between 500 and 760 m.

BRAZIL. Bahia: Valley of the Rio das Ondas, c. 10 km W of Barreiras, H.S. Irwin et al. 31335 (FTG); Espigão Mestre, 22 km W of Barreiras, W.R. Anderson et al. 36478 (FTG); Formosa do Rio Preto, 40 km da Faz. Estrondo en direção de Mimosa, L.S. Guedes et al. 6799 (CEN, HUEFS, RB). Tocantins: Dianápolis, distrito de Missões, 2 km de Missões, R.M. Harley et al. 56736 (HUEFS)

Notes.

This species is similar to most other erect cerrado species in having shortly petiolate, oblong leaves and a subterminal inflorescence in which the reduced leaves clearly function as bracts. It is most likely to be confused with Ipomoea paludosa , I. campestris or I. aprica but is immediately distinguished from all of these and other similar species by the glabrous corolla. Most specimens also have glabrous sepals but Anderson et al. 36640 is anomalous for having pubescent sepals. Molecular studies suggest a relationship with Ipomoea pohlii Choisy but this also has a pubescent corolla and differs additionally in its solitary flowers which are partially concealed by the relatively large bracts.

As understood here this is a variable species. All cited collections are ± hirsute on the stems, abaxial leaf surfaces and on the peduncles. De Queiroz et al. 10239, Irwin et al. 31335 and Anderson et al. 36478 are outstanding for their branched terminal inflorescence which appears paniculate, whereas in the other collections the flowers are mostly solitary so the inflorescence appears to be a leafy raceme. Guedes et al. 6799 is itself somewhat variable with the specimen at CEN having shorter and more obtuse leaves than those at HUEFS and RB.

Two specimens from Minas Gerais are not cited above but may belong to this species. They differ in being completely glabrous and having somewhat granulose stems. Further collections may show that Ipomoea queirozii is more variable than described above or may justify recognising the following as a distinct subspecies or even species:

BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Serra do Cipó, c. 145 km N of Belo Horizonte, 1200 m, 15 Feb. 1968, H.S. Irwin et al. 20103 (FTG); Canastra, Serra da Babilonia, entre Delfinópolis e São Roque de Minas, 10 Feb. 2012, J.F.B. Pastore et al. 3990 (HUEFS).

Figures

Figure 67. Ipomoea queirozii. A habit B abaxial leaf surface C outer sepal D inner sepal. Drawn by Rosemary Wise from L. P. de Queiroz 10239.