Ipomoea estrellensis Hassl. ex O'Donell

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

54. Ipomoea estrellensis Hassl. ex O'Donell , Arq. Mus. Paranaense 9: 220. 1952. ( O’Donell 1952: 220)

Ipomoea chrysotrichoides Hassl. , nom. nud., Add. Plantae Hasslerianae 18. 1917. (Hassler 1917: 18).

Type.

PARAGUAY. Amambay, Cabecera Estrella, Pedro Juan Caballero, Sept. 1933, T. Rojas 6260 (holotype LIL190807).

Description.

Subshrub with erect stems from a xylopodium to c. 60 cm, stems pilose with long soft hairs. Leaves subsessile, ovate to broadly elliptic, acute and mucronate, rounded to subcordate at base, prominently veined especially abaxially, both surfaces densely adpressed asperous-pilose, the hairs bulbous-based; borders highlighted, densely white-ciliolate; petioles 2-3 mm, pubescent. Flowers solitary from the upper leaf axils; peduncles suppressed or very short, 0-4 mm, pilose; bracteoles 6-7 mm, linear; pedicels 4-8 mm, pilose; sepals 10-13 × 4 mm long, subequal, ovate, acuminate, sericeous, similar but inner subacute and mucronate, c. 5 mm wide; corolla 6-9 cm long, pink, midpetaline bands sericeous, limb 4-6 cm diam., undulate. Capsules and seeds not seen.

Distribution.

Endemic to the Sierra de Amambay in Paraguay, where it was probably found growing in cerrado. There have been no confirmed records for over eighty years.

PARAGUAY. Amambay: T. Rojas 6362 (LIL); E. Hassler 9819 (BM), 10052 (BM, G, K, P).

Note.

Characterised by the subsessile, broadly elliptic leaves with highlighted ciliolate margins and the solitary axillary flowers, the peduncles nearly suppressed and the pedicels short.

U. Eskuche & Z. Ahumada 06177 (G) from 36 km N of San Estansilao in Dept. San Pedro may belong to this species but differs in the longer peduncles (mostly 6-10 mm).