Convolvulaceae
Ipomoea

Ipomoea peruviana O'Donell

First published in Bol. Soc. Peruana Bot. 1: 4 (1948)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Peru to N. Bolivia and Brazil (Acre). It is a liana and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Wood, J.R.I., Martinez Ugarteche, M.T., Muñoz-Rodríguez, P. et al. (2018). Additional notes on Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in Bolivia. Kew Bulletin 73: 57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-018-9784-z

Distribution
This is known from Peru and Brazil but it was nonetheless surprising that it was found in two distinct localities in Bolivia in 2018, one Puente San Pablo, Marbán in the Beni (Martinez & Adler 83 [LPB, OXF, USZ]) and the other Valle de Sajta, Carrasco in Cochabamba Department (Wood, Martinez & Ledezma 28915 [LPB, USZ]).
Ecology
Both locations are in the humid lowlands in disturbed areas originally covered in rain forest.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
The flowers are pale lilac in colour as noted by Klug on the label of the type collection.
Morphology Leaves
The leaves may be entire or 3-lobed.
[KBu]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Wood JRL & Scotland RW. 2017. Notes on Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from the Amazonian periphery. Kew Bulletin. 72:10. DOI 10.1007/S12225-017-9682-9

Type
Type: Brazil, Acre, Mun. de Río Branco, Apa do Ireneu Derra, 9°56'03""S 67°52'08""W, 12 July 2007, C. S. Pessoa, E. Consuelo, I. E. S. Moll, P. Palhares, Adriana F. Obermüller, M. Silveira, I. M. Saar & W. Castro 302 (holotype RB).
Morphology General Habit
Twining perennial, “liana” (fide Pessoa et al 302) of unknown height; stems glabrous, somewhat woody
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate, 6 – 16 × 5 – 12 cm, ovate, shortly acuminate to a fine point, cordate, the auricles rounded or acute, margin undulate, often irregularly dentate, glabrous, paler beneath, thin in texture, main veins abaxially prominent; petioles 9.5 – 11 cm, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of up to 7-flowered, axillary, pedunculate compound cymes, glabrous; peduncles 12 – 15 cm, stout, woody; bracteoles not seen, caducous; secondary and tertiary peduncles c. 2.5 cm; pedicels 2.3 – 6.5 cm, conspicuously thickened upwards; sepals slightly unequal, outer 18 – 22 × 10 – 12 mm, narrowly oblong-elliptic, acute or obtuse, mucronate, inner sepals very slightly shorter, pale green; corolla c. 10 – 11 cm long, glabrous, pale blue, narrowly funnelshaped, the tube c. 2 cm wide for 5 – 7 cm, then widened to c. 3 cm; limb 5 – 6 cm diam., apparently lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule and seeds not seen
Note
This species is obviously close to Ipomoea clavata (G. Don) Oostst. ex J. F. Macbr. and appears to be similar in habit, corolla shape and corolla colour although we have seen no photographs of living plants. However, it differs significantly in being entirely glabrous and lacks the long, white spreading hairs so characteristic of the stems of I. clavata. The inflorescence is long pedunculate, the peduncles up to 15 cm in length, whereas in I. clavata they are only 2.5 cm long. Additionally the cymes are up to 7- flowered whereas in I. clavata the flowers are usually solitary, rarely up to 3 together. This species is named after Acre State, from where the type was collected, itself named after the Río Acre a tributary of the Amazon.
Distribution
Upper Amazon region in Brazil and Peru. Although not clearly specified by collectors, it is apparently a plant of disturbed areas derived from moist lowland rain forest.
Conservation
Based on its area of occupancy of approximately 12,000 km2, it could be categorised as Endangered (EN), but with only three records and an area of occurrence of almost 190,000 km2, it should be treated provisionally as Data Deficient (DD). The existence of only three widely separated records gives little indication of its true frequency.
[KBu]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. 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 Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0