Family:
Convolvulaceae Juss.

Lepistemon Blume

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Tropical Africa, Tropical & Subtropical Asia to NE. Australia.

[FTEA]

Convolvulaceae, B. Verdcourt (East African Herbarium). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1963

Morphology General Habit
Herbaceous or woody twiners
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in dense, axillary, sessile or peduncled cymes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 5, subequal, herbaceous or subcoriaceous, acute or obtuse, hairy or glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla urceolate, the tube narrowing upwards; limb shortly 5-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments inserted near the base of the corolla, dilated in their basal portions into large concave scales which arch over the ovary; pollen spinulose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary glabrous or hairy, 2-locular, each loculus with 2 ovules; style 1, very short; stigmas 2, capitate, or one, bilobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 4-valved or almost indehiscent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 4.

[KBu]

Staples, G. W. (2007). A Synopsis of Lepistemon (Convolvulaceae) in Australasia. Kew Bulletin, 62(2), 223-232. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20443347.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
The lower filament (sometimes interpreted as an outgrowth from the nectary disc) develops into a curved scale The 5 Filament base scales arch inward and almost touch the style, the anthers encircle the style, dehiscing outward; this arrangement no doubt plays some role in pollination.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
The urceolate corolla has a unique spittoon shape.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits are dehiscent, 4 (or less by abortion) -seeded capsules.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
The subumbellate, many-flowered, head-like inflorescence almost sessile in the leaf axils is a good field character.
Note
Two African genera, Lepistemonopsis Dammer (1 species) and Paralepistemon Lejoly & Lisowski (2 species), each share with Lepistemon the feature of filament base scales, though neither occurs in Australasia. Lepistemonopsis is readily differentiated by its campanulate, 5-lobed corolla; and an indehiscent, or tardily dehiscent, 4-seeded fruit. Paralepistemon is readily differentiated by the cymose inflorescences in the upper leaf axils that form lax panicles; a broadly funnelform corolla; and indehiscent, woody, 1-seeded fruits. Wilkin's (1999) morphological cladistic analysis suggested that Lepistemon (and all the other spinulose pollen genera) should be subsumed into Ipomoea. Subsequent molecular evidence (Manos et al. 2001; Stefanovic et al. 2002) reached the same conclusion. Six species: one widespread in tropical Africa; one widespread in tropical Asia; two confined to the Indian subcontinent; one in eastern Asia; one in Malesia, Melanesia, and Australia.
Type
Type species: Lepistemon flavescens Blume [= L. binectarifer]

[FZ]

Convolvulaceae, Maria Leonor Gonçalves. Flora Zambesiaca 8:1. 1987

Morphology General Habit
Herbaceous or woody twiners, usually hairy.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petioled; lamina broad, ovate to circular, entire or lobed, often cordate at the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in dense, axillary, sessile or peduncled cymes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 5, subequal, herbaceous or subcoriaceous, acute or obtuse, hairy or glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla urceolate, the tube narrowing upwards; limb shortly 5-lobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens inserted low down in the corolla tube, dilated in their basal portions into large concave scales which arch over the ovary; pollen spinulose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary glabrous or hairy, bilocular, each loculus with 2 ovules; style 1, very short; stigmas 2, capitate, or one, bilobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 4-valved or almost indehiscent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 4.

Native to:

Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Chad, China Southeast, Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hainan, India, Ivory Coast, Jawa, Kenya, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Maluku, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, New Guinea, Nigeria, Philippines, Queensland, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Is., Sudan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Lepistemon Blume appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Bijdr.: 722 (1826)

Accepted by

  • Andrews, F.W. in Andrews, F.W. (1956). Convolvulaceae The Flowering Plants of the Sudan 3: 102-125. T.Buncle & co., LTD., Arbroath, Scotland.
  • Baker, J.G. & A.B. Rendle in Thiselton-Dyer, W.T. et al. (eds.) (1905). Convolvulaceae Flora of Tropical Africa 4(2): 62-206. Secretary of State for the Colonies.
  • Clarke, C.B. in Hooker, J.D. (1883). Fl. Br. India Convolvulaceae Flora of British India 4: 179-228 + 734.
  • Fang, R.-Z. & Staples, G. (1995). Convolvulaceae Flora of China 16: 271-325. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
  • Gagnepain & Courchet in H. Lecomte (1915). Flore Indo-Chine Convolvulaceae Flore Générale de l'indo-Chine 4: 228-313.
  • Gonçalves, M.L. (1987). Convolvulaceae Flora Zambesiaca 8(1): 9-129. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Hedberg, I., Kelbessa, E., Edwards, S., Demissew, S. & Persson, E. (eds.) (2006). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 5: 1-690. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Heine, H. in Hutchinson, J. & Dalziel, J.M. (1963). Convolvulaceae Flora of West Tropical Africa, second edition 2: 335-352 + 496. Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations.
  • Johnson, R.W. (2012). Convolvulaceae Australian Plant Census Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria.
  • Khan, M.S. (1985). Fl. Bangladesh Convolvulaceae Flora of Bangladesh 30: 1-59. Bangladesh National Herbarium, Dhaka.
  • Lejoly, J. & S. Lisowski (1993). Les Convolvulaceae dans la flore d'Afrique Centrale (Zaïre, Rwanda, Burundi) Fragmenta Floristica et Geobotanica 38: 351-400.
  • Ooststroom, S.J. van & R.D. Hoogland (1953). Convolvulaceae Flora Malesiana 4: 388-512. Noordhoff-Kolff N.V., Djakarta.
  • Staples, G. (with P. Traiperm) (2010). Convolvulaceae Flora of Thailand 10: 330-468. The Forest Herbarium, National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Bangkok.
  • Staples, G.W. (2007). A synopsis of Lepistemon (Convolvulaceae) in Australasia Kew Bulletin 62: 223-232.
  • Verdcourt, B. (1963). Convolvulaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-161.
  • Yamazaki, T. (1993). Fl. Japan Convolvulaceae Flora of Japan IIIa: 195-205. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • Fl. Males., ser. 1, 4: 489 (1953).
  • van Ooststr. in Blumea 5: 340 (1943)
  • —F.T.A. 4, 2: 115

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Bijdr. Fl. Neerland Ind.: 722 (1826).

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Bijdr. : 722 (1826)

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Bulletin

    Kew Bulletin
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0