Ipomoea trifida (Kunth) G. Don

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

219. Ipomoea trifida (Kunth) G. Don , Gen. Hist. 4: 280. 1838. (Don 1838: 280)

Convolvulus trifidus Kunth , Nov. Gen. Sp. 3: 107. 1818 [pub.1819]. (Kunth 1819: 107). Type. VENEZUELA. Amazonas, Humboldt & Bonpland 1136 (holotype P00670762).

Ipomoea batatas forma trifida (Kunth) Nishiyama , Bot. Mag. Tokyo 84: 385. 1971. (Nishiyama 1971: 385).

Convolvulus hepaticifolius Willd. in Roem. & Schult. , Syst. Veg. 4: 303. 1819. (Roemer and Schultes 1819: 303). Type. VENEZUELA. Carichana, Humboldt & Bonpland s.n. (B-W-03709).

Ipomoea ramonii (" ramoni ") Choisy in A.P. de Candolle, Prodr. 9: 380. 1845. (Choisy 1845: 380). Type. CUBA. La Habana, Ramón de La Sagra s.n. (holotype G-DC00135860).

Ipomoea triloba forma ramonii (Choisy) Nishiyama , Bot. Mag. Tokyo 84: 385. 1971.

Ipomoea roseana House , Muhlenbergia 3: 43. 1907. (House 1907b: 43). Type. MEXICO. Colima, E. Palmer 978 (holotype US00111458).

Type.

Based on Convolvulus trifidus Kunth

Description.

Perennial twining herb, uniformly finely pubescent. Leaves petiolate, 2-11 × 2-10 cm, ovate or, more commonly, 3-(5)-lobed, acute to acuminate, apiculate, base cordate, pubescent on both surfaces, occasionally glabrous, abaxially paler; petioles 1.5-12.5 cm, thinly pubescent. Inflorescence of usually long-pedunculate axillary cymes; peduncles 3-26.5 cm, glabrous or, especially above, thinly pilose; bracteoles 1.5-2 × 1 mm, ovate, acute, scarious; secondary peduncles 0.5-4 cm; pedicels 3-7 mm, thinly pilose; sepals scarious, thinly pilose with only the central vein prominent, slightly unequal, outer 4-10 × 3 mm, elliptic or ovate, obtuse and mucronate, inner slightly longer; corolla 2.5-4 cm long, pink, glabrous, shortly funnel-shaped; limb 2.5-3.5 cm; nectary yellow. Capsules subglobose, 5-7 mm, glabrous or hairy; seeds 3-3.5 mm long, glabrous or nearly so.

Illustration.

Figures 7H , 110D , 111 .

Distribution.

Essentially Central American, mostly near the Caribbean coast, but absent from the Caribbean islands except Cuba and Trinidad. Records from Ecuador ( Jørgensen 1999) and other places distant from Central America require confirmation and are probably errors for Ipomoea batatas (Austin 1982a: 41) .

COLOMBIA. Atlántico: Palmar de la Verela-Pontedera, A. Dugand 3471 (COL). Bolívar: Cartagena, J.A. Molina & F.A. Barklay 19B024 (MO). Magdalena: O. Haught 3875 (COL, K, US), 4477 (S, US). Santa Marta: H.H. Smith 1569 (BM, COL, E, K, MO); ibid., H.H.Smith 1570 (BM, K, MO, S).

VENEZUELA. Anzoategui: J. Steyermark 115407 (P). Aragua: Tovar, A. Fendler 2074 (K); Miranda: 8 km beyond El Palmar on road to San José de Las Altos, C. Jeffrey & B. Trujillo 2351 (K). Nueva Esparta: Margarita Island, O.O. Miller & J.R. Johnston 77 (BM, K).

PANAMA. Sinclair s.n. (K); canal area, Las Cruces trail, A.A. Hunter & P.H. Allen 723 (K, MO); Frijoles, H. Pittier 2677 (BM); Santiago, B.L. Seeman s.n. (BM, K).

COSTA RICA. A.F. Skutch 2570 (S); Playa Maranjo, P. Wilkin 416 (BM); Guanacaste, P. Wilkin & S.B. Jennings 109 (BM); Guanacaste, E. López 98 (MO, BM); Alajuela, B. Hammel 19715 (MO, BM); Puntarenas, M. Chavarría 601 (K); Bagaces-Libería M. Chavarría 1051 (K, MO); Heredia, Sarapiqui, I. Chacón 439 (MO); Guanacaste, Monteverde, D.F. Austin 7848 (FTG, MO).

NICARAGUA. A. Molina 20101 (F); Managua, F.C. Seymour 5436 (BM); ibid., W.D. Stevens 4772 (BM, MO), Matagalpa, Cerro El Pilon, W.D. Stevens 9428 (BM, MO); Bealego, Sinclair s.n. (K).

HONDURAS. Colonia Miramonte, M.G. Pineda 97 (BM, TEFH); J. Hjalmarsan (S).

EL SALVADOR. La Libertad, K. Sidwell et al. 510 (BM, LAGU, MO); P.C. Standley 21292 (S); Morazán, Montecristo, J.M. Tucker 444 (K, UC).

BELIZE. Stann Creek, D. Dwyer et al. 579 (MO).

GUATEMALA. H. Bartlett 315 (S); Petén, P.N. Tikal, R. Tun Ortíz 321 (BM, MO); ibid., 388 (BM, F, MO).

MEXICO. Campeche: E.F. Cabrera 12504 (XAL) fide Austin. Chiapas: Escuintla, E. Matuda 2154 (K). Colima: J. Maillet s.n. [1985] (IEB). Est. México & Dist. Fed.: Nanchititla, Temascaltepec, G.B. Hinton 3434 (K). Guerrero: Petatlán, E. Langlassé 630 (K); Temisco, Y. Mexia 8865 (K, S); Acapulco, W. Hancock 31 (K); Santa Bárbara, Coyuca, G.B. Hinton 8504 (K); Pino, Mina G.B. Hinton 9784 (K); Acapulco, E. Palmer 123 (K). Jalisco: P. Carillo-Reyes et al. 3622 (IEB). Michoacán: Coalcomán, G.B. Hinton et al. 12513 (K); Coahuayana, J.C. Soto Nuñez et al. 11169 (MEXU). Oaxaca: S. Salas et al. 4780 (ARIZ, MO); H. Hernández 876 (IEB). Tabasco: Paraíso, E.F. & H. Cabrera 14740 (MO) fide Austin. Quintana Roo: José María Morelos, Chichancanab, G.F. Gaumer 2117 (MO) fide Austin. Veracruz: Córdoba-Veracruz, D.F. & S. Austin 5060 (FTG); 9 km S of Tampico, E. Palmer 543 (BM, K). Yucatán: J.S. Flores 9262 (XAL) fide Austin.

CUBA. H. Manitz 51339 (HAJB); F. de la Puente 5341 (CIP, FTG). Artemisa: Guanajay, A.H. Curtiss 632 (BM, K, NY). Guantánamo: Bayate, E.L. Ekman 10120 (BM, S). La Habana: H. Van Hermann 231 (BM, NY). Matanzas: Herradura, F.S. Earle s.n. [2/11/1906] (NY). Pinar del Río: Sierra de Anafé, N.L. Britton et al. 9593 (K, NY). Santiago de Cuba: M. López Figueiras 307 (HAC, HAJB, NY).

TRINIDAD. A. Fendler 583 (K).

Notes. Although common in Central America and on Cuba, this species is frequently misidentified and records from Africa, Madagascar, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, northern Mexico, most Caribbean islands and the United States are probably erroneous. Even within its area of occurrence, many specimens may be wrongly named.

Ipomoea trifida has unequal, narrow, oblong-lanceolate, characteristically chaffy sepals. The only other species with distinctly chaffy sepals are I. splendor-sylvae with obovate to suborbicular sepals and some unassigned forms discussed below under I. batatas , which itself has arisen from I. trifida ( Munoz-Rodriguez et al. 2018) . Some specimens are difficult to separate but the shape and texture of the sepals is usually decisive. Ipomoea trifida is reported (Austin 1978a) to have filaments hirsute for most of their length but it is not certain how constant this character is.

Figures

Figure 7. Sepals of Ipomoea species. A I. meyeri B I. ternifolia C I. cryptica D I. heterodoxa E I. sericosepala F I. splendor-sylvae G I. squamisepala H I. trifida. Photographs of A (Anderson 1895) B (Pringle 4439) C (Soto et al. 1331) E (Wood & Soto 27550) F (Wilkin 472) and H (Smith 1570) by John Baker; D (Wallnoefer 9506) by John Wood; G (Mendoza 4902) by Moises Mendoza.

Figure 110. Photographs of Ipomoea species. A I. grandifolia B I. lacunosa C I. littoralis D I. cryptica E, F I. batatas. A, D-F John Wood B Steven Turner C Rick Miller.

Figure 111. Ipomoea trifida. A habit B outer sepal C inner sepal D corolla opened out to show stamens E ovary and style F capsule G seed. Drawn by Rosemary Wise A from Tun Ortiz 321; B-E from Miller 77; F, G from Seymour 5436.