Convolvulus gortschakovii Schrenk, Enum. Pl. Nov. [F.E.L. Fischer & C.A. Meyer] 1: 18. 1841. (Fischer and Meyer 1841: 18).

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 : 156-157

139. Convolvulus gortschakovii Schrenk, Enum. Pl. Nov. [F.E.L. Fischer & C.A. Meyer] 1: 18. 1841. (Fischer and Meyer 1841: 18). Figure 18: t. 21-26

Convolvulus pungens Kar. & Kir., Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 14: 709. 1842. ( Karelin and Kiriloff 1842: 405). Type. KAZAKHSTAN/RUSSIA, Songaria, Karelin & Kiriloff 326 (syntypes LE!, W!).

Type.

KYRGYZSTAN, Schrenk, s.n. (holotype LE!; isotypes BM001046244!, OXF!, W!).

Description.

Low spiny undershrub, often cushion-like, 10-20(-30) cm high, stems divaricate, branches arising at right angles, grey-sericeous when young, persistent and woody-spinescent when old; cauline spines also present. Leaves sessile, 1-2.5 × 0.2-0.5 cm, oblanceolate, acute, entire, tapering to a long petiole-like base. Flowers solitary, axillary, pedunculate; peduncles 5-7 mm, woody, straight, spinescent; bracteoles 6-12 × 1-2 mm, foliose, linear to linear-oblong; pedicels 1-2 mm; outer sepals 7-11 × 7-11 mm, orbicular, apex rounded and apiculate, base cordate, glabrous, papery in texture; inner sepals 5-7 × 4-5 mm, ovate, acuminate; corolla 1.8-2.2 cm long, pink, undulate but not lobed, midpetaline bands brownish-pilose terminating in a small tooth; ovary pubescent; style divided 7 mm above base, pubescent below; stigmas 3 mm. Capsule apically pubescent; seeds not seen.

Similar in inflorescence, habit and overall morphology to Convolvulus fruticosus but distinctive because of the glabrous orbicular cordate papery outer sepals, which are much larger than the ovate, acuminate inner sepals.

Distribution.

Kyrgyzstan (Karelin & Kirilov 326); Kazakhstan (Saposhnikov 1914, Mishenkova 331); Tajikistan; Russia: Altai (Ladrigin 445), Mongolia (Cheney 65, Potanin s.n. [13/8/1879]), China (fide Fang and Staples 1997: 289).

Notes.

There are a number of specimens in which the sepals are pilose but similar in shape to those of Convolvulus gortshakovii . These include Kossinsky 889 from Kazakhstan (Semipalatinsk) and Przewalski s.n. [25/5/1879], Kalinina s.n. [17/8/1949] and Klemenz 178 from Mongolia (all at LE). Without further evidence it is impossible to decide whether these are hybrids or some other kind of intermediate with Convolvulus fruticosus .