Convolvulus subspathulatus Vatke, Linnaea 43: 519. 1882. (Vatke 1882: 520).

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 : 126

99. Convolvulus subspathulatus Vatke, Linnaea 43: 519. 1882. (Vatke 1882: 520).

Type.

SOMALIA, Hildebrandt 1312 (holotype B†).

Description.

Perennial herb with prostrate or twining stems to 50 cm long, vegetative parts densely sericeous becoming golden-brown when old. Leaves shortly petiolate, 0.6-2 × 0.6-2 cm, suborbicular, apex rounded or, rarely, emarginate or obtuse, base cordate, margin entire; petioles 1-6 mm long. Flowers 2-5 in shortly pedunculate, bracteate heads; peduncles 0.4-1.5 cm; bracteoles 7-10 × 5-7 mm, oblong-elliptic to ovate; outer sepals 5-7 × 2-3 mm, oblong to obovate, villous; corolla 9-11 mm long, blue, unlobed, midpetaline bands pilose; ovary glabrous; style glabrous, divided 3 mm above base; stigmas 1.75-2 mm, narrowly cylindrical and thicker than style. Capsule glabrous; seeds glabrous, tuberculate. [ Thulin 2006: 235]

Distribution.

Endemic to Somalia (Thulin & Warfa 4533, 5907; Friis et al. 5024; Revoil s.n. [6/1883], Tardelli & Bavazzano 502). On coastal sand dunes.

Notes.

Thulin (2006: 235) suggests that this species is scarcely different from Convolvulus jefferyi and his description of Convolvulus subspathulatus in Flora of Somalia seems to anticipate uniting the two species. However the suborbicular leaf shape and sericeous indumentum serve to distinguish the two species easily.