Ipomoea longibarbis J.R.I.Wood & Scotland

Wood, J.R.I., Carine, M.A., Harris, D. et al. 2015. Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in Bolivia. Kew Bulletin 70: 31. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-015-9592-7

Type

Type: Bolivia, Santa Cruz, Prov. Cordillera, Pie de la Muela del Diablo, Boyuibe-Camiri, J. R. I. Wood, D. Villarroel & B. Williams 27633 (holotype USZ; isotypes K, LPB, OXF).

Morphology General Habit

Robust twining perennial usually 2 – 5 m high, stems pubescent, somewhat woody

Morphology Leaves

Leaves petiolate, 4 – 13 × 3 – 12 cm, ovate, acute or shortly acuminate, terminating in a fine hair point, base shallowly cordate to truncate, margin slightly undulate, adaxially green, thinly adpressed-pubescent, abaxially grey, densely pubescent; petioles 3 – 10 cm, pubescent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence of pedunculate axillary cymes with 1 – 8 flowers, somewhat dense; peduncle 4.5 – 26 cm, usually rather stout, pubescent; lower bracteoles 2 – 2.5 × 0.2 – 0.8 cm, oblong to oblong-elliptic; secondary peduncles 1.5 – 4 cm; upper bracteoles 9 – 18 × 1 mm, linear-lanceolate, terminating in a long fine point, pubescent, somewhat persistent; pedicels 2 – 10 mm, pubescent; sepals slightly unequal, outer 11 – 16 × 6 – 7 mm, ovate, acuminate to a fine point, grey-pilose with conspicuous spreading hairs, inner ovate-elliptic, acute, silvery-pilose with hairs weakly spreading; corolla 8 cm long, uniformly pink, silky pubescent on the exterior, funnel-shaped, widening above middle, limb 5 cm diam., shallowly-lobed; stamens included, filaments unequal, glabrous apart from pubescent expanded basal part, shorter filaments 12 mm, longer 15 mm, anthers linear, 3.5 × 0.5 mm; style 19 mm, glabrous, stigma obscurely bilobed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule 10 – 11 × 10 mm, ovoid, glabrous, seeds 7 × 3 – 3.5 mm, brown, glabrous apart from the 10 mm long white marginal hairs

Note

A species of the Chaco radiation similar to Ipomoea argentinica in habit and leaf indumentum but differing in the laxer inflorescence with longer peduncles, broader outer sepals with conspicuous spreading hairs and less persistent bracteoles. Herbarium specimens resemble I. rubens very closely in facies and indumentum but molecular studies indicate there is no close affinity. I. longibarbis is a plant of dry habitats, not stream banks.

Flowers towards the end of the summer rainy season, principally from February to April, so somewhat earlier than Ipomoea argentinica.

Ecology

Endemic to Bolivia. It grows in dry chaco scrub woodland along the Andean foothills from Camiri south to the Villamontes area, between 500 and 1500 m, largely replacing Ipomoea argentinica in this region. Map 11.

Conservation

Using Geocat this species should be provisionally classified as Near Threatened (NT), based on its extent of occurrence of little more than 21,000 km2. However, it is plant of open scrub in little danger of clearance and is any case tolerant of disturbance, so no direct threat seems likely. Little is known about the number or size of different populations and a final assessment should await the completion of a detailed study