Convolvulus ocellatus Hook., Bot. Mag. 70: t. 4065. 1844. (Hooker 1844: t.4065).

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 : 74

32. Convolvulus ocellatus Hook., Bot. Mag. 70: t. 4065. 1844. (Hooker 1844: t.4065). Figure 7, t. 7-14

Convolvulus ornatus Engl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 10: 247. 1888. ( Engler 1888: 247). Type. SOUTH AFRICA, Northern Cape, Marloth 716 (holotype B†; isotype PRE).

Convolvulus ocellatus var. ornatus (Engl.) A.Meeuse, Bothalia 6: 673. 1958 [1957]. ( Meeuse 1958: 673). Type. Based on Convolvulus ornatus Engl.

Convolvulus dinteri Pilger, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 45: 219. 1910. ( Pilger 1910: 219). Type. NAMIBIA, Kraaifontein, Dinter 812 (holotype B†; isotypes SAM, PRE, not seen).

Type.

Plate 4065 in Curtis, Botanical Magazine 70 (1844); epitype (designated here): SOUTH AFRICA, North West Province, Gauteng, Magaliesberg, Burke 119 ex Herb. Hooker (K!).

Description.

Perennial herb with all vegetative parts tomentose with brown or grey hairs; rootstock stout, woody; stems 20-100 cm long, decumbent and trailing to erect, occasionally apparently rambling over shrubs, often woody towards the base. Leaves subsessile or shortly petiolate, 1-2.5 × 0.1-1.5 cm, narrowly oblong with or without basal auricles to palmately 5-fid ( var. ornatus ), the central lobe much longer than the bifid basal lobes, margin characteristically revolute, petioles 0.5-3 mm. Flowers almost always solitary; peduncles 0-5 mm long; pedicels 3-11 mm; bracts 1-5 mm, linear; outer sepals 6-8 × 3-4, oblong-lanceolate, abruptly contracted above middle and then narrowed to an obtuse to subacute apex; corolla 12-14 mm long, pink or white, distinctly lobed, midpetaline bands pubescent with brown hairs; ovary pilose or glabrous; style thinly pilose or glabrous, divided c. 5 mm above base; stigmas 3.5-4 mm, linear; Capsule pilose at the apex; seeds smooth. [ Meeuse 1958: 673 p. p.; Meeuse and Welman 2000: 45 (map)]

Distribution.

South Africa (Burke 119, Burchell 2412, Leistner 2036); Namibia (Merxmuller & Giess 1160, Engler 6243, Wanntorp 762); Botswana (Skarpe 201). Often in dry semi-desert conditions.

Notes.

Usually easily recognised by the densely tomentose indumentum combined with revolute leaf margins. The calyx and corolla are similar in size to that of Convolvulus multifidus but the sepals are abruptly contracted above the middle and then gradually narrowed to the apex.