Ipomoea longirostra J.R.I.Wood & Scotland, 2017

Wood, John R. I., Munoz-Rodriguez, Pablo, Degen, Rosa & Scotland, Robert W., 2017, New species of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from South America, PhytoKeys 88, pp. 1-38 : 21

Ipomoea longirostra J.R.I.Wood & Scotland sp. nov. Figure 13

Diagnosis.

Ipomoea longirostra is probably related to and certainly resembles I. procumbens Mart. ex Choisy in being completely glabrous and with solitary flowers but is distinguished by its ovate-deltoid, basally truncate leaves borne on slender pedicels, and the ovate-elliptic, obtuse to rounded, not lanceolate to ovate, acute to acuminate sepals. The strongly rostrate capsule is also distinct.

Type.

BRAZIL. Minas Gerais, Lima Duarte, P.N. Estadual do Ibitipoca, prov. Rio do Salto , 21°42'80"S, [43°47'W] (longitude missing from label), 1200 m, 9 March 2003, fl., fr., R.C. Forzza, L.C.S. Assis. J.G. Jardim, R. Lima, L. Menini Neto, E. Lucas, B.R. Silva, S. Edwards & D. Zappi 3031 (holotype RB00552260; isotypes K, NY)

Description.

Twining perennial of unknown height, glabrous in all vegetative parts. Leaves petiolate, 3-4 × 1.3-2.2 cm, deltoid, finely acuminate, shortly mucronate, base truncate to cordate with rounded auricles, margin denticulate, abaxially paler with prominent veins; petioles very slender, curved, 9-17 mm. Inflorescence of solitary, pedunculate, axillary flowers; peduncles 10-15 mm; bracteoles caducous, not seen; pedicels noticeably stouter than peduncles 12-15 mm; sepals subequal, elliptic, glabrous, margins scarious, outer 8-11 × 4-6 mm, obtuse, inner 9-12 × 6-7 mm, rounded, usually c. 0.5 mm longer and 1 mm wider than outer sepals; corolla 5.5 cm long, pink, glabrous, funnel-shaped, limb 3-3.5 cm diameter. Capsule 13 × 6-7 mm, conical, glabrous, strongly rostrate, the apex 4-5 mm long, persistent; seeds unknown.

Distribution.

BRAZIL. Endemic to the area of the type locality in the Parque Nacional Estadual do Ibitipoca in Minas Gerais. Figure 9

Additional collections seen.

Minas Gerais, Lima Duarte, P.N. Estadual do Ibitipoca, casa da polícia florestal, 21°42'33"S, 43°53'46"W, R.C. Forzza et al. 2638 (RB0055171); ibid., Cachoeira dos Macacos 6 Feb. 2004, fl., R.C. Forzza et al. 2692 (RB00551680); ibid., prov. Rio do Salto, campo ao lado do alojamento, Nov. 2006, fl., R.C. Forzza et al. 4362 (NY01018831, RB00552445).

Conservation status.

The four collections were made at different dates from the near vicinity of each other. Field notes do not indicate the plant’s frequency and in the absence of other collections or any information about threats to its habitat, it can only be classified as Data Deficient (DD) within IUCN (2012) guidelines. It would be treated as a "black star" species within the classification of Hawthorne and Marshall (2016), but again this must be considered a provisional classification as no systematic search has been made for the species at the type locality or in other suitable habitats, although it must be presumed to be rare.

Etymology.

The epithet longirostra refers to the prominently beaked capsule.

Notes.

We have not been able to sequence material of this species but it is almost certainly related to I. procumbens under which name it was provisionally identified at Kew. Although I. procumbens is a quite variable species, it never has the finely petiolate, truncate leaves of I. longirostra . The strongly rostrate capsule of the new species is also very striking.

Figures

Figure 9. Map of Eastern Brazil showing distribution of I. ensiformis, I. fasciculata, I. kraholandica, I. longirostra, I. revoluta, I. scopulina, I. veadeirosii, and I. walteri.

Figure 13. Ipomoea longirostra. A habit showing inflorescence B habit showing rostrate capsule C abaxial leaf surface D leaf apex E outer sepal F inner sepal. Drawn by Rosemary Wise from R. C. Forzza et al. 303.