Ipomoea pearceana Kuntze

Wood, John R. I., Munoz-Rodriguez, Pablo, Williams, Bethany R. M. & Scotland, Robert W., 2020, A foundation monograph of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the New World, PhytoKeys 143, pp. 1-823 : 1

396. Ipomoea pearceana Kuntze , Rev. Gen. Pl. 2: 443. 1891. (Kuntze 1891: 443)

Type.

PERU. [Cusco/Apurimac], common in the valley of the Apurimac, 8-9000 ft, [Jan. 1867], R. Pearce 1867 (lectotype K000612918, designated here; isolectotype BM).

Description.

Shrub 2-3 m high, white latex present; stems woody, sericeous. Leaves petiolate, 4-9 × 4-12 cm, broadly ovate, very shortly acuminate, base shallowly cordate to subtruncate, margin white-ciliolate, adaxially glabrous, abaxially grey sericeous-tomentellous, veins prominent; petioles 3.5-6 cm, sericeous. Inflorescence of axillary, pedunculate cymes; peduncles 4-12 cm, white-sericeous; bracteoles 1.3-2.7 × 0.4-0.5 cm. lanceolate, finely acuminate, boat-shaped, adaxially glabrous, abaxially grey-sericeous; secondary peduncles 4-12 mm; pedicels 6-25 mm, white-sericeous; outer sepals oblong, cuneate at base, acute and strongly mucronate, 18-25 × 7-8 mm, densely sericeous becoming less so marginally, inner sepals 20-22 × 7 mm oblong-elliptic, obtuse, mucronate, the midrib and mucro sericeous, the margins nearly glabrous; corolla 5-6 cm long, pink, sericeous in bud, funnel-shaped, filaments pink. Capsules and seeds not seen.

Distribution.

Almost endemic to the Apurimac Valley in Peru at about 2100 m where it grows on steep slopes in dry forest.

PERU. Apurimac: Abancay: C. Vargas 1444 (CUZ); Grau, Karrancka, C. Vargas 5850 (CUZ); Canyon of Río Apurimac, J. West 3847 (GH, MO, UC). Cusco: Abancay-Cusco, R.T. Pennington et al. 1796 (E); Anta, W.L. Galeano 5086 (CUZ, MO); Sisal-Cunyac, C. Vargas 4877 (CUZ, K). Huancavelica: Tayacaja, Quichicapota-Mantaro Bridge, H.E. Stork & O.B. Horton 10407 (K).

Note.

This is a poorly known species close to Ipomoea sericosepala differing principally in the much longer sepals and bracteoles. Some specimens, such as O. Tovar 3837 (USM) from Tayacaja, might be interpreted as I. sericosepala .