Ipomoea gigantea (Silva Manso) Choisy in A.P. de Candolle

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

107. Ipomoea gigantea (Silva Manso) Choisy in A.P. de Candolle , Prodr. 9: 362. 1845. (Choisy 1845: 362)

Convolvulus giganteus Silva Manso, Enum. das Subst. Braz. 18. 1836. (Manso 1836: 18). Type. BRAZIL. Silva Manso s.n. (whereabouts unknown).

Calystegia palmatopinnata Meisn. in Martius et al. , Fl. Brasil. 7: 317. 1869 (Meisner 1869: 317). Type. BRAZIL. J.B. Pohl 1759 (isotype K, isotypes M,?W).

Ipomoea palmatopinnata (Meisn.) Benth. & Hook. f., Gen. Pl. 2 (2): 874. 1876. (Bentham and Hooker 1876: 874).

Type.

Based on Convolvulus giganteus Silva Manso

Description.

Very robust prostrate perennial, stems tomentellous. Leaves petiolate, deeply divided into linear-oblong segments, usually 7-9 in number, the two basal pairs free to an attenuate base, the terminal 3 forming a 3-lobed leaflet, leaflets 5-9 × 1-1.5 cm, apex obtuse and mucronate, softly adpressed-pilose to tomentellous on both surfaces but abaxially paler, the veins highlighted with denser indumentum; petioles 2.5-4.5 cm, tomentose. Inflorescence of solitary (rarely paired), axillary flowers; peduncles 1.5-4.5 cm, pubescent; bracteoles 3-5 × 2.6 -3.5 cm, oblong-obovate, obtuse, mucronate, prominently veined, adpressed pilose, enclosing pedicel and calyx, the margin white-ciliolate; pedicels 5-7 mm, pubescent; sepals slightly unequal, obovate, outer 20-23 × 10-11 mm, obovate, abruptly narrowed to a broad mucronate apex, pilose but with broad glabrous, scarious margins, inner sepals 15 × 6-7 cm, broadly oblong, rounded and mucronate, pubescent centrally but with broad scarious glabrous margins; corolla 9-10 cm long, pink or red, narrowly funnel-shaped, pilose; limb 5-6 cm diam., lobed. Capsules and seeds not seen.

Illustration.

Figures 4G , 72 .

Distribution.

Endemic to the Cerrado region of central Brazil.

BRAZIL. Goiás: H.A. Weddell (P); Estrada de Goiania a Bela Vista, A.M. Carvalho & C.F. Delphim 2252 (CEPEC, K, UB); Serra Dourada, M.R. Silva & C. Rodrigues 552 (MO); Serra de Caldas Novas, E.P. Heringer 13121 (NY); Anapolis, E.P. Heringer 10888 (NY); Goiania, A.C. Brade 15400 (HB, RB). Mato Grosso: Camino do Barra de Garças al aeropuerto, A. Krapovickas & C. Cristóbal 42956 (CTES, SP). Mato Grosso do Sul: F. de Barros 968 (SP). Minas Gerais: A. Krapovickas et al. 33047 (MO, CTES); Ituiutaba, A. Macedo 4207 (K, NY, S); Amaro Leite, A. Macedo 263 (MO, S).

Note.

A remarkable plant because of its large sepals and corolla and the deeply divided leaves with up to nine linear-oblong segments.

Figures

Figure 4. Sepals of Ipomoea species. A I. racemosa B I. rosea C I. alba D I. hirsutissima E I. barbatisepala F I. ampullacea G I. gigantea H I. longeramosa. Photographs of A (R. A. & E. S. Howard 8863) E (Gonzalez Ortega 874) and F (Lott & Wendt 2192) by John Wood; B (Harley et al. 54830); C (Fendler 589) and H (Pickersgill et al. RU 72 - 400) by John Baker; D (Mendoza 4365) and G (Mendoza 4645) by Moises Mendoza.

Figure 72. Ipomoea gigantea. A habit B abaxial leaf surface C outer sepal D middle sepal E inner sepal. Drawn by Rosemary Wise A-E from Macedo 4207 with A also from Brade 15400.