Ipomoea pedicellaris Benth.

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

414. Ipomoea pedicellaris Benth. , Bot. Voy. Sulphur 135. 1844 [pub. 1845]. (Bentham 1845: 135)

Ipomoea grayi Rose, Contrib. U.S. Natl , Herb. 1 (4): 107. 1891. (Rose 1891: 107). Type. MEXICO. Chihuahua, E. Palmer 710 (lectotype US00111395, partially designated by Austin (1997: 151) and redesignated here; isolectotypes GH, K, NY).

Ipomoea saxorum Standl. & Steyerm., Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. , Bot. Ser. 23 (2): 81. 1944. (Standley and Steyermark 1944: 81). Type. GUATEMALA. Chiquimula, gorge of Río Chiquimula, between Santa Bárbara and Petapilla, J.A. Steyermark 30254 (holotype F0054895).

Ipomoea breedlovei L.O. Williams, Fieldiana , Bot. 32 (12): 188. 1970. (Williams 1970a: 188). Type. MEXICO. Chiapas, 9 km N of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, D.E. Breedlove & P. Raven 13871 (holotype F0054629, isotypes CAS, F).

Type.

HONDURAS. Valle, Gulf of Fonseca, Sinclair s.n. (lectotype K000612726, partially designated by C. Nelson, 1996: 58 and redesignated here).

Description.

Twining herb or liana to 6 m, stems glabrous or pubescent. Leaves petiolate, 2.5-10.5 × 2-9.5 cm, ovate, shortly acuminate, cordate with rounded auricles (rarely 3-lobed), glabrous or pubescent, abaxially paler; petioles 3-7.5 cm. Inflorescence of subumbellate, branched, usually many-flowered axillary cymes, peduncles 2.5-6 cm, often stout; bracteoles caducous; secondary, tertiary and quaternary peduncles often present, always short, 0.5-1.5 cm; pedicels 15-45 mm, often long; sepals unequal, glabrous, outer 5-8 × 4 mm, oblong-ovate, obtuse or acute, often muricate or midvein forming a narrow wing near base, inner 7-10 mm, ovate, obtuse or rounded, scarious upwards; corolla 6-8 cm long, broadly funnel-shaped, red to pale pink, pubescent at the apex of the midpetaline bands; limb wide, 6-7 cm diam. Capsules 15 × 12-13 mm, ovoid, glabrous; seeds 7 mm long, minutely pubescent.

Illustration.

Figure 203 .

Distribution.

From northern Mexico south to El Salvador and Honduras, principally in drier areas mostly between 200 and 1200 m. It mostly grows by streams or in gallery forest in deciduous tropical forest.

HONDURAS. Gulf of Fonseca: type collection.

EL SALVADOR. Ahuachapán, Área Protegida Santa Rita, J.M. Rosales 1948 (BM, B, MEXU, MO).

GUATEMALA. Cañon El Tapón, Huehuetenango, A. Molina 30134 (F).

MEXICO. Chiapas: Tonala, C.A. Purpus 6913 (BM, MO); Tenejapa, Río Chik Ha’, D. Breedlove 12640 (F). Chihuahua: E. Palmer 102 (K). Guerrero: Acapulco, Hancock 46 (K); Galeana, Tecpan, G.B. Hinton 10888 (GBH, K, MO); Acapulco, E. Palmer 154 (K, MO). Hidalgo: Zacualtipán, E. Matuda 38686 (MO). Jalisco: E.J. Lott 1585 (MO). Michoacán: Coalcomán, Villa Victoria, G.B. Hinton 12544 (GBH, K, MO); Aguililla, E. Carranza & I. Silva 6825 (IEB). Morelos: Atlacahualoya, G. Flores & E. Cabrera 335 (MEXU). Nayarit: Tepic, E. Palmer 1997 (P, US); Rosamorada, E. Ruíz Sánchez & A. Castro 486 (IEB). Oaxaca: Tehuantepec, M. Elorsa 5303 (IEB), 5334 (IEB, MO). San Luis Potosí: Rascon, C.A. Purpus 5406 (BM). Sinaloa: El Fuerte, La Constancia, J. Ortega 5486 (K); Imala, E. Palmer 1704 (S); Mun. Cosalá, Mineral de Nuestra Señora, c. 12 km E of Cosalá, Rito Vega et al. 2112 (MEXU). Sonora: San Bernardo, Río Mayo, H.S. Gentry 1616 (K, MO, S); T.R. Van Devender & Dimmitt 91-755 (ARIZ). Tamaulipas: R. Kral 27371 (MO). Veracruz: Rinconada, Dorantes et al. 01710 (BM, MEXU).

Typification.

Nelson (1996: 58) designated the Sinclair collection from the Gulf of Fonseca at K as lectotype but there are two sheets at Kew from the same location, neither annotated by Nelson. We have, therefore, redesignated the more complete sheet as lectotype. Similarly Austin (1997: 151) designated Palmer 710 (US) as lectotype of Ipomoea grayi but as there are three sheets of this number at US, we have redesignated the more complete sheet as lectotype.

Note.

The outer sepals are often muricate and the inflorescence has distinctive long pedicels, similar in form to Ipomoea regnellii , but often somewhat broader, although always glabrous. Occasionally the murication on the sepals develops into fleshy appendages similar to those seen in I. tentaculifera , most conspicuously in Rito Vega et al. 2112 (MEXU). At first sight this appears to be a distinct species and might perhaps merit recognition as a variety but seems to be only an extreme variation of a tendency occasionally found in other specimens of I. pedicellaris . The small mucro at the apex of the sepals is sometimes present (Figure 204F, G ) and sometimes absent (Figure 203B, C ).

Figures

Figure 203. Ipomoea pedicellaris. A habit at anthesis B outer sepal C inner sepal D corolla opened out to show stamens E habit when fruiting F outer sepal G inner sepal H cyme with capsule J seed. Drawn by Rosemary Wise A-C from Hinton 1254; D-G from Hancock 46; H-J from Palmer 154.

Figure 204. Ipomoea regnellii. A habit B stem C outer sepal D inner sepal E corolla opened out to show stamens F ovary and style G older stem H outer sepal, narrow form. Drawn by Rosemary Wise A, C, D from Lugo 1963; B, E, F from Asplund 15897; G, H from Bohlin et al. 1290.