Ipomoea graminifolia 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 : 18

Ipomoea graminifolia J.R.I.Wood & Scotland sp. nov. Figure 11

Diagnosis.

Ipomoea graminifolia resembles and is probably related to I. procumbens Mart. ex Choisy and I. aequiloba J.R.I. Wood & Scotland, being completely glabrous and having solitary flowers and subequal, lanceolate to ovate sepals. From I. procumbens it is distinguished by the much smaller calyx (the inner sepals oblong-lanceolate, only 7-9 × 2 mm, not 12-15 × 4-6 mm) and corolla (<3.5 cm long, not>5.5cm long), the wiry stems, and the sessile, filiform leaves. In these dimensions and habit it is closer to I. aequiloba but is immediately distinguished by the simple, nor subequally 3-lobed leaves.

Type.

BRAZIL. Goiás, Fazenda Agua Fria, Alto Paraiso de Goiás, cerca 10 km en direção a Teresina de Goiás, 14°04'217"S, 47°30'336"W, 1448 m, 20 Feb. 2001, C. Munhoz, N. Rodrigues & K.M.O. Ramos 2567 (holotype MO-5948847, isotypes not found) .

Description.

Completely glabrous, slender, probably clambering perennial herb, stems thin, wiry, slightly woody. Leaves sessile, 2.5-5.5 × 0.05-0.1 cm. linear-filiform, acute, minutely apiculate. Inflorescence of solitary axillary flowers; peduncles 8-18 mm; bracteoles deltoid, 1 mm long, caducous; pedicels 6-8 mm, thickened upwards; sepals unequal, outer 5-6 × 2 mm, broadly lanceolate, acute and mucronate, margin narrow, scarious; inner 7-9 × 2 mm, oblong-lanceolate, acute, margins broad, scarious; corolla 3-3.5 cm long, funnel-shaped, pink, glabrous, limb 2.5-3 cm diameter, undulate, the midpetaline bands ending in acute points; stamens included; style very short, c. 1.2 cm, stigma bi-globose. Capsule and seeds unknown.

Habitat and Distribution.

BRAZIL. High altitude endemic of campo limpo úmido, only known from the type collection in Goiás, where it was collected in or near the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park. The recorded altitude of 1400 m is unusually high for an Ipomoea species in Brazil. Figure 5 .

Etymology.

The epithet graminifolia refers to the characteristic grass-like leaves of this species.

Conservation status.

In the absence of other collections or any information about threats to its habitat, the status of this species can only be classified as Data Deficient (DD) within IUCN guidelines. It would be treated as a "black star" species within the classification of Hawthorne and Marshall (2016), but again this must be considered as 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.

Figures

Figure 5. Map of equatorial South America showing the distribution of Ipomoea cuscoensis (●), I. graminifolia (✖), I. uninervis (▲) and I. velutinifolia (■).

Figure 11. Ipomoea graminifolia. A habit B outer sepal C inner sepal D buds showing calyx. Drawn by Rosemary Wise from C. Munhoz et al. 2567.