Convolvulus betonicifolius Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8: no. 20. 1768. (Miller 1768: 20).

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 : 55-57

11. Convolvulus betonicifolius Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8: no. 20. 1768. (Miller 1768: 20). Figure 4, t. 1-9.

Convolvulus pubescens Sol., in Russell, Aleppo, ed. 2, 2: 246 1794, illegitimate superfluous name for Convolvulus betonicifolius Mill. ( Russell 1794: 246). Type. SYRIA, Aleppo, Russell s. n. (holotype BM001014565!).

Convolvulus lanuginosus Vahl, Symb. Bot. 3: 23. 1794., nom. illeg., non Convolvulus lanuginosus Desr. (1792). ( Vahl 1794: 23). Type. sin data (holotype C10009605!).

Convolvulus tomentosus Choisy, Prodr. [A.P. de Candolle] 9: 413. 1845., nom. illeg., non Convolvulus tomentosus Vell. (1829). ( Choisy 1845: 413). Type. Based on Convolvulus lanuginosus Vahl

Convolvulus sagittifolius Sm. Fl. Graec. Prod. 1: 133. 1806, nom. illeg., non Convolvulus sagittifolius Michx. (1803). ( Sibthorp and Smith 1806: 133). Type. Icon., Fl. Graec. 2: 77, t. 193 (1816).

Convolvulus hirsutus M.Bieb., Fl. Taur.-Caucas 1: 422. 1808. ( Marschall von Bieberstein 1808: 422). Type. CRIMEA, Steven s.n. (holotype LE!).

Convolvulus atriplicifolius Poir., Encycl. (Lamarck), Suppl. 3 (2): 467.1814. ( Poiret 1814: 467). Type. SYRIA, de Labillardière s.n. (holotype FI).

Convolvulus sibthorpii Roem. & Schult., Syst. Veg, ed. 15 bis [Roemer & Schultes] 4: 285. 1819. ( Roemer and Schultes 1819: 285). Type. GREECE, Samos, sin col. (whereabouts unknown).

Convolvulus amoenus K. Koch. Linnaea 19: 19. 1847, nom. illeg., non Convolvulus amoenus Dietrich (1816). ( Koch 1847: 19). Type. TURKEY, Pontus Euxinus, Thirke s. n. (holotype B†, possible isotype MO).

Convolvulus peduncularis Boiss., Diagn. Pl. Orient. 11: 84. 1849. ( Boissier 1849: 84). Type. TURKEY, between Orfa and Sierek, Kotschy 58 (holotype G; isotype K000852030).

Convolvulus pedunculatus Walp., Ann. Bot. Syst. 3(1): 112. 1852, lapsus [spelling mistake] for Convolvulus peduncularis Boiss. ( Walpers 1852: 112).

Convolvulus hirsutus var. tomentosus Boiss., Fl. Orient. [Boissier] 4: 105. 1875. ( Boissier 1875b: 105). Type. Based on Convolvulus peduncularis Boiss.

Convolvulus betonicifolius subsp. peduncularis (Boiss.) Parris, Fl. Turkey & E. Aegean Is (P.H.Davis). 6: 217. 1978. ( Parris 1978: 217). Type. Based on Convolvulus peduncularis Boiss.

Convolvulus hirsutus var. virescens Boiss., Fl. Orient. [Boissier] 4: 105. 1875. ( Boissier 1875b: 105). Type. TURKEY, Egirdir, Heldreich s. n. (G, E00285435, WAG0003915, K!).

Convolvulus armenus Boiss. & Kotschy ex Boiss., Fl. Orient. [Boissier] 4: 105. 1875. ( Boissier 1875b: 105). Type. TURKEY, Kotschy 373 (lectotype G, designated by Sa’ad 1967: 221); isolectotypes K000852028, P00608770!, W!).

Convolvulus betonicifolius var. armenus (Boiss. & Kotschy ex Boiss) Sa’ad, Meded. Bot. Mus.Herb. Rijks Univ. Utrecht 281: 221. 1967. ( Sa’ad 1967: 221). Type. Based on Convolvulus armenus Boiss.

Convolvulus aleppensis Sa’ad, Meded. Bot. Mus.Herb. Rijks Univ. Utrecht 281: 209. 1967. ( Sa’ad 1967: 209). Type. SYRIA, Aleppo, Kotschy 232 (holotype P!).

Type.

Cultivated plant grown in Chelsea Physic Garden from seed received from Paris (holotype BM001035798!).

Description.

Very variable trailing or twining perennial herb up to 1 m high, stems angled, vegetative parts always hirsute, thinly to densely pubescent, pilose or tomentose. Leaves petiolate, 2.5-8 × 2-6 cm, ovate, apex obtuse or acute, often mucronate, margin entire to undulate, base cordate and cuneate onto the petiole, usually auriculate, auricles rounded to acute, entire or dentate; petioles 0.5-1.5 (-6) cm. Flowers 1-3 (-8) in pedunculate, axillary cymes (often clearly dichasial); peduncles 2-14 cm, very variable from specimen to specimen; bracteoles filiform to linear or linear-oblanceolate, acute, 6-14 × 0.5-1.5 mm, pedicels 5 -15 mm; outer sepals 7-15 × 3-5 mm, oblong-elliptic, acute or acuminate, bicoloured, sometimes slightly constricted below triangular, slightly deflexed dark green apical portion, inner sepals scarious-margined 8-10 × 5-6 mm, shorter but broader; corolla 2.8-3.6 cm, white, cream, or pink, unlobed, midpetaline bands pilose, sometimes darker coloured; filaments glandular below; ovary pilose, style pilose, divided c. 9 mm above base, stigmas 3 mm. Capsule pilose; seeds papillose. [ Sa’ad 1967: 219; Feinbrun-Dothan 1978: plate 66; Tohmé and Tohmé 2007: 214 (photo); Silvestre 2012: 258; Strid and Strid 2009: 388-389 (plate); Pignatti 1982: 389; Grigoriev 1953: 12 (plate)]

Distribution.

Widely distributed from the eastern Mediterranean region east to the Caucasus and Iran: Greece (Rechinger 8992): Albania (Alston & Sandwith 1730): Bulgaria (Wiesniewski 1161); Turkey (Davis & Polunin 4220); Cyprus (Meikle 2626); Crimea; Russia: North Caucasus (Sokolova 1149, Kozo-Poljansky & Preobrashensky s.n. [5/1915]); Iraq (Al Kaisi et al. 51085); Syria (Kotschy 232); Lebanon (Gombault 4491); Palestine/Israel (Post 460, Heller & Shamash 13434); Iran (Jacobs 6837). Naturalised in Spain, France (Gay s.n.) and Italy (Fiori & Beguinot 2509).

Notes.

A very variable species in indumentum, leaf shape, peduncle length, number and colour of flowers and size and shape of sepals Attempts have been made by Sa’ad (1967) and Parris (1978) to provide an infraspecific classification but the characters do not correlate well with each other and it seems best to treat this as a single widespread variable species.