Convolvulus divaricatus Regel & Schmalh., Trudy Imp. S.-Petersburgsk. Bot. Sada 6: 338. 1879. (Regel 1879: 338).

Wood, John R. I., Williams, Bethany R. M., Mitchell, Thomas C., Carine, Mark A., Harris, David J. & Scotland, Robert W., 2015, A foundation monograph of Convolvulus L. (Convolvulaceae), PhytoKeys 51, pp. 1-282 : 146-147

123. Convolvulus divaricatus Regel & Schmalh., Trudy Imp. S.-Petersburgsk. Bot. Sada 6: 338. 1879. (Regel 1879: 338). Figure 17, t. 1-7

Convolvulus deserticulus Podlech, Mitt. Bot. Staatssammel. München 17: 482. 1981. ( Podlech 1981: 482). Type. AFGHANISTAN, Kandahar, Podlech 30744 (holotype M; isotype W!).

Convolvulus afanassievii Luferov, Kumarovia 1: 59. 1999. ( Luferov 1999: 59). Type. UZBEKISTAN, Kzyl-Kum, Afanassiev 238 (holotype LE!; isotypes LE!).

Type.

UZBEKISTAN, Chiwa (Khiva), Koralkov s.n. (holotype LE!).

Description.

Perennial undershrub from a woody rootstock forming a small bush; stems numerous to 50 cm, rigid and woody below, herbaceous above, slightly divaricate, densely grey-pilose. Basal leaves not seen; stem leaves sessile, 0.3-1.5 × 0.3-1.5 cm, very variable in size from plant to plant, oblanceolate, lanceolate, ovate or suborbicular, acute, entire to somewhat undulate, basally cuneate to rounded, pilose. Flowers 1-3 (- 5) in axillary dichasial cymes but often solitary; peduncle 0.5-6 cm, somewhat terete to rigid; bracteoles 3 mm, filiform; pedicels 2-10 mm; outer sepals 5-6 × 2.5 mm, lanceolate, ovate or elliptic, acuminate or caudate, densely lanate; inner sepals broader (c. 3 mm), glabrous; corolla 1.1-1.3 (-1.5) cm long, cream or pinkish, unlobed, midpetaline bands darker, pilose, terminating in a tooth; ovary glabrous or with a few apical hairs; style glabrous, divided c. 2 mm above base, stigmas c. 2 mm; capsule glabrous, 1-seeded (?always); seeds hirsute. [ Sa’ad 1967: 89]

Distribution.

Uzbekistan/Kazakhstan: Kzyl-Kum (Knorring 155, Rodin & Arkadyev 213, Rodin et al. 634); Turkmenistan (Dubiansky s.n. [9/5/1925], Petrov s.n. [10/5/1930], Litwinow 1425); Tajikistan (Korshinsky 7298); Afghanistan (Hewer 1060, Furse 5574, Rechinger 34194b). Common in sandy deserts.

Notes.

Distinctive because of the pilose indumentum with spreading hairs combined with the lanceolate to ovate stem leaves but very close to Convolvulus subsericeus and Convolvulus eremophilus . From the latter it is best distinguish by the less rigid, less flexuouse branches arising at around 60° from the stem as well as the broader leaves.

Specimens intermediate between Convolvulus divaricatus and Convolvulus eremophilus exist ( Grigoriev 1953: 19) and have been called Convolvulus michelsonii (V. Petrov) V. Petrov ex Grigoriev (1953: 19) or Convolvulus korolkowii var. michelsonii V. Petrov (1935:136), the type being Michelson s.n. [29/5/1914] (holotype LE) from the Kyzyl-Kum desert in Uzbekistan. However, their status is uncertain and they may be hybrids. Examples include Litwinow 873a (LE) from Turkmemistan.