Convolvulus trabutianus Schweinf. & Muschl., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 9: 566. 1911. (Schweinfurth and Muschler, 1911: 566).

Wood, John R. I., Williams, Bethany R. M., Mitchell, Thomas C., Carine, Mark A., Harris, David J. & Scotland, Robert W., 2015, A foundation monograph of Convolvulus L. (Convolvulaceae), PhytoKeys 51, pp. 1-282 : 133-134

109. Convolvulus trabutianus Schweinf. & Muschl., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 9: 566. 1911. (Schweinfurth and Muschler, 1911: 566). Figure 15, t. 1-7

Convolvulus ifniensis Caball., Trab. Mus. Ci. Nat., ser. Bot. 30: 7. 1935. ( Caballero 1935: 7). Type. MOROCCO, Ifni, Caballero s.n. (lectotype MA, designated by Sa’ad 1967: 71).

Type.

ALGERIA, Oran, Diels s.n. (holotype B†).

Description.

Intricate, nearly leafless, spiny undershrub to 50 cm, stems and branches spinescent, branches arising at right angles, stems and vegetative parts glabrous to strongly adpressed pubescent. Leaves alternate on younger shoots but commonly clustered on very short thick brachyblasts on older shoots, sessile, 0.4-2.2 × 0.1-0.4 cm, oblanceolate, obtuse, entire, attenuate at the base. Flowers solitary (very rarely paired), axillary but sometimes appearing to be in clusters on brachyblasts from which the leaves have fallen; peduncles 0-6 mm, woody, persistent and spinescent; bracteoles c. 1 mm long, scale-like; pedicels 1-3.5 mm, commonly recurved; calyx somewhat globose, sepals similar, 4-5 × 2.5-3 mm, elliptic, rounded and minutely mucronulate, pubescent; corolla 1.4-1.6 cm, white, very shallowly lobed, midpetaline bands pilose, pink; ovary very sparsely pilose; style sparsely pilose below, divided 5 mm above base, stigmas 4-6 mm, somewhat unequal. Capsule and seeds not seen. [ Sa’ad 1967: 71 p. p.]

Distribution.

Restricted to the Maghreb of northwestern Africa: Mauritania (Chevalier s.n., Monod 19597); Morocco (Lewalle 9758, Jury et al. 14457, 19615, 20738, Jehandiez 156, Davis 48684, Allorge s.n. [17/4/1913], Podlech 49240); Algeria (Humbert s.n. [4/1924]).

Notes.

A rather variable plant, sometimes glabrous, sometimes densely adpressed pubescent so approaching Convolvulus caput-medusae in this respect; flowers can be solitary and pedunculate (e.g. Davis 48684), when the spine-like peduncles persist, but may also develop in apparent pedicellate clusters on virgate brachyblasts. These differences merit further study.

Sa’ad (1967) treated Convolvulus trabutianus under Convolvulus caput-medusae (it is Convolvulus trabutianus that is illustrated under the name Convolvulus caput-medusae ) but the two plants are distinct. Convolvulus caput-medusae is always white-sericeous, only the branches are spinescent, the flowers are more or less sessile and only 8-10 mm long, amongst many differences.