Ipomoea leucantha Jacq.

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

225. Ipomoea leucantha Jacq. , Icon. Pl. Rar. 2: t. 318. 1788. (Jacquin 1786-1793: t. 318)

Ipomoea batatas var. leucantha (Jacq.) Nishiyama , Bot. Mag. Tokyo 84: 385. 1971. (Nishiyama 1971: 385).

Euryloma leucantha (Jacq.) Raf. , Fl. Tellur. 4: 75. 1836 [pub. 1838]. (Rafinesque 1838a: 75)

Quamoclit leucantha (Jacq.) G. Don , Gen. Hist. 4: 258. 1838. (Don 1838: 258).

Convolvulus dentatus Blanco, Fl. Filip. , ed. 1: 89. 1837. Type. Plate 31 (of Ipomoea commutata ) in Fl. Filip., ed. 3. 1877, lectotype designated by Austin 1978b: 121.

Ipomoea blancoi Choisy in A.P. de Candolle , Prodr. 9: 349. 1845. (Choisy1845: 349). Type. Based on Convolvulus dentatus Blanco

? Ipomoea hirta M. Martens & Galeotti , Bull. Acad. Bruxelles 12 (2): 264. 1845. (Martens and Galeotti 1845: 264). Type. MEXICO. Oaxaca, H. Galeotti 1374 (BR000006972639, BR0000006973315 syntypes).

Ipomoea trifida var. ymalensis House , Ann. New York Acad. Sci.18: 254. 1908. (House 1908b: 254). Type. MEXICO. [Sinaloa], Imala, E. Palmer 1746 (holotype NY, not found, isotypes F, S, US).

Ipomoea lacunosa forma purpurea Fernald , Rhodora 40: 454. 1938. (Fernald 1938: 454). Type. UNITED STATES. Virginia, Fernald & Long 7580 (lectotype GH,? designated by Austin 1978b: 121).

Ipomoea trichocarpa forma albiflora Ahles, J. Elisha Mitchell Soc. 75: 129. 1959. Type. UNITED STATES. South Carolina, Colleton Co. H.E. Ahles 17956 (holotype UNC).

Type.

Jacquin, Icon. Pl. Rar. 2: t. 318, 1788, lectotype designated by Austin (1978b: 120).

Description.

Twining annual herb similar to I. cordatotriloba and other annual species of the Batatas Clade. Leaves petiolate, 3-5 × 1.5-4 cm, ovate, entire or shallowly 3-lobed, cordate, the auricles sometimes with a large tooth, apex shortly acuminate, abaxially paler, glabrous; petioles 2.5-3.5 cm. Inflorescence of dense cymes comprising about 5 clustered flowers; peduncles 8-12 mm, glabrous; pedicels 4-7 mm; sepals subequal, 10-14 mm long, lanceolate, acuminate and apiculate, pilose or glabrous; corolla 1.5-2 (-3.5) cm long. Capsules subglobose, 6-8 × 5-6 mm diam., pilose; seeds c. 3.5 × 2 mm long, glabrous.

Distribution.

Occurs sporadically, principally in the eastern United States and in Central America south to Ecuador and Brazil. It is also reported from the Old World, principally in Asia, but these records are of uncertain status and have not often been accepted in recent publications on Asian Ipomoea . The following records should be treated as provisional.

BRAZIL. Bahia: R.M. Harley et al. 21816 (K).

ECUADOR. Guayas: Guayaquil, E. Asplund 15643 (S), 15652 (S). Napo: Yasuni, Rio Tiputini, R. Burnham 1439 (MICH, QCA). Sucumbios: Gonzalo Pizarro, Rio Aguarico, A. P. Yañez et al. 1067 (QCA).

COLOMBIA. Sine loc., E. André 1833 (K); 1839 (K).

COSTA RICA. Nicoya, A.H. Tonduz 13680 (BM); U. Chavarria & F. Rizo-Patrón 2244 (MA).

MEXICO. Jalisco: C. & J.G. Cortes 608 (MEXU). Michoacán: Morelia, J.M. Escobedo 2181 (IEB, MEXU); San Antonio Labrador, J.C. Soto Nuñez 10914 (MEXU). Querétaro: Jalpan, E. Carranza & E. Pérez 5209 (IEB, MEXU). Sonora: Mori, Yaqui country, H.S. Gentry 4743 (MEXU); San Luis, Río Colorado, R. Felger 85-1032 (MEXU). Tamaulipas: M.E. González 28 (MEXU).

UNITED STATES. Florida: A.H. Curtiss 5575 (K). Mississippi: T.C. Lockley s.n. [18/8/1997) (FTG). Missouri: Boonville, G. Yatskievych 96-78 (MO).

JAMAICA. G.R. Proctor 16096 (BM); R.D. Henry & C.D. Adams 12893 (BM).

Note.

A poorly understood entity considered by Austin (1978b passim) to have arisen as a natural hybrid between I. lacunosa and I. cordatotriloba in the United States and occurring sporadically elsewhere as a weed or casual, being spread as a contaminant of rice seeds. Molecular sequencing shows this species to be polyphyletic ( Muñoz-Rodríguez et al. 2018) and further studies are needed before the characteristics and distribution of this taxon can be confirmed.