Convolvulus laciniatus Desr., Encycl. [Lamarck et al.] 3: 546. 1792. (Desrousseaux 1792: 546).

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 : 88

48. Convolvulus laciniatus Desr., Encycl. [Lamarck et al.] 3: 546. 1792. (Desrousseaux 1792: 546). Figure 9, t. 1-7

Convolvulus laciniatus var. hirsutus Desr., Encycl. [Lamarck et al.] 3: 546. 1792. ( Desrousseaux 1792: 546). Type. URUGUAY, Commerson (holotype P, not found).

Convolvulus lasianthus Cav., Icon. 5: 53, t. 479(1). 1799. ( Cavanilles 1799: 53). Type. CHILE, Talcahuano, Née (lectotype, MA-475572!, sheet numbered “1365” with rootstock and two corollas, designated here).

Convolvulus laciniatus var. peduncularis Meisn., Fl. Bras. (Martius) 7: 314. 1869. ( Meisner 1869: 314). Type. Brazil. Sello s.n. (lectotype P03560958, designated here).

Ipomoea polymorpha Meisn. var. glabra Griseb. Symb. Bot. Arg. 264. 1879. ( Grisebach 1879: 264). Type. ARGENTINA, Tucuman, (GOET?).

Convolvulus geranioides Phil., Anales Univ. Santiago 90: 222. 1895. ( Phillipi 1895: 222). Type. CHILE, Bucalemu and Cahuil, L. Sanfurgo (syntypes SGO, not seen).

Type.

URUGUAY, Montevideo, Commerson s.n. (holotype P-Juss!).

Description.

Very variable perennial herb with numerous, often branched, trailing stems from a stout central rootstock, most commonly glabrous, sometimes thinly pubescent and rarely white-tomentose. Leaves petiolate, 1-3(-5) × 1-3(-5) cm, very variable in form but always deeply divided, usually profoundly palmatisect or pinnatisect with narrow laciniate segments, rarely with broader segments; apex obtuse or acute; margin undulate or entire; petioles 3-15 mm. Flowers 1-2(-3), axillary, pedunculate; peduncles 1-3(-5) cm; bracteoles 2-3.5 mm; pedicels 2-10 mm; outer sepals 6-9 × 5-6 mm, elliptic to obovate, margins scarious; corolla 1-2 cm long, white or white with purple centre, lobed with acute apices, exterior glabrous to thinly pilose in correlation with overall plant indumentum, midpetaline bands present or absent but if present dark violet, pilose; ovary glabrous; style glabrous, divided 5-11 mm above base; stigmas 1.5-2 mm. Capsule glabrous; seeds smooth, black. [ O’Donell 1957: 169 -172, Figure 9; O’Donell 1959: 281]

Distribution.

Argentina (Tressens et al. 2282, Pastore 1262), Chile, Uruguay (Gibert 40); Brazil (fide O’Donell 1959: 284); Bolivia (Wood 22627, Bang 959, Fiebrig 2587). 0-3800 m.

Notes.

An extremely variable species easily recognised by its deeply divided leaves and white flowers, which are occasionally with dark violet midpetaline bands. The following specimens are outstanding and could each constitute a distinct taxon, but which I hesitate to recognise in the absence of any matching material: Venturi 8624 (BM, K, MO) from Argentina, which has very large leaves 5 × 5 cm with broad segments, the peduncles up to 6 cm long bearing up to three flowers and is apparently similar to Convolvulus geranioides from Chile; Sandoval & Stark 1025 (K) from Chile, which has small pinnatisect, white-tomentose leaves. There are also densely pubescent specimens from Uruguay (Gay s.n., Seijo et al. 2381, for example) which may accord with var. hirsutus Desr. Corolla indumentum and colouring are also outstandingly variable, some corollas completely glabrous while in others the midpetaline bands are pubescent.

Two specimens from Bolivia (Wood et al. 21956 and Bastian 783, both LPB) have finely dissected leaves like Convolvulus laciniatus but a hairy apex to the ovary. They probably represent the hybrid between Convolvulus laciniatus and Convolvulus hermanniae subsp. erosus , certainly Wood 21956 was growing in the vicinity of both parents.