Ipomoea pulcherrima Ooststr.

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

115. Ipomoea pulcherrima Ooststr. , Recueil. Trav. Bot. Néerl. 30: 206. 1933. (Ooststroom 1933: 206)

Type.

PERU. Apurimac, A. Weberbauer 5875, holotype B†, isotypes: F, GH, US).

Description.

Erect shrub with abundant white latex, stems whitish on young parts, densely pubescent with crisped hairs. Leaves petiolate, 2-9 × 2-8.5 cm, ovate to suborbicular, obtuse, base subcordate to truncate, margins highlighted white, adaxially appressed puberulous, abaxially white-tomentellous; petioles 1.5-3 cm, densely puberulent. Inflorescence subcorymbose, compact, composed of compact reduced cymes borne at the apex of branchlets up to 15 cm long; peduncles 2-4 mm; bracteoles 1.5-2.5 mm, ovate, caducous; pedicels 8-14 mm, sericeous; sepals unequal, outer 5-7 × 4-5 mm, broadly oblong, rounded, glabrous, margins scarious, inner 9-10 × 6-7 mm, suborbicular to obovate; corolla 4-5 cm long, funnel-shaped, glabrous, colour not known, limb c. 2.5 cm diam. Capsules and seeds unknown.

Distribution.

Endemic to the Apurimac valley in southern Peru at 1100 m.

PERU. Only known from the the type collection.

Notes.

Distinguished by the densely pubescent stems, very unequal, glabrous sepals and glabrous corolla.

Although included by McPherson (1981) in the Arborescens group, its shrubby habit and unequal sepals suggest otherwise. Its placement here is arbitrary as we have not sequenced any material.