Pacific Science (1987), vol. 41, nos. 1- 4 © 1988 by the University of Hawaii Press. All rights reserved

Note on the Identity of Koloaensis Leveille ()'

DANIEL F. AUSTIN 2 DURING RECENT STUDY of the Convolvu­ G. Staples did not find one at the Arnold laceae for the Manual ofthe Flowering Arboretum (A), and Lauener (Notes Roy. Bot. ofHawaii (W. L. Wagner, D.R. Herbst, and Gard. Edinb. 38: 495-497. 1980) did not S. H. Sohmer, in prep .) a need was found to locate a specimen in British Museum (BM). identify some ofthe names Leveille published The sheet in Paris bears the correct number early this century. Hector Leveille described but not the Leveille name . Moreover, the two ofIpomoea in 1911 (Repert. Spec. specimen in Paris is not Ipom oea imperati. Nov . Regni Veg. 10: 154. 1911). As with many Perusal of the protologue, and the avai l­ of the binomials proposed by Leveille, the ability of only one herbarium sheet, lead one names represent species with long-established to believe that the sheet in Paris is the type in epithets. Joseph Rock discussed the identity spite of the fact that it was not so annotated of these two Convolvulaceae along with other by Leveille. The original description reads: families in his caustic article three years later "Caulesvalde intricati, colore paleaceo, glabri (Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 13: 352­ et filiformes; folia violaeformia, longe petio­ 359. 1914). Rock identified Ipomoea fauriei lata; petiolo limbum subaequante; capsula H. Leveilleas perhaps a depauperate specimen paleacea globosa; sepala ovata acuta brun­ of Ipomoea pes-caprae (Linnaeus) R. Brown, nea, margine scariosa. Kauai: Koloa, dec. and that fits the protologue. For reasons that 1909 (Faurie, 1036)." Few people would take remain unknown, Rock identified Ipomoea this to be and the reason koloaensis H. Leveille as Ipomoea acetosaefo­ Rock called it that species remains a mystery. lia Roemer and Schultes. We now know that The description, although brief, contains sev­ the proper name of the species to which Rock eral comments that point toward Ipomoea ascribed Leveille's binomial is Ipom oea im­ obscura (Linnaeus) Ker-Gawler. The "folia perati (Vahl) Grisebach (cf. LaVa lva and Sa­ violaeformia," for example, are the cordate bato, Taxon 32: 114. 1983). Later Lauener leaves of I . obscura. Similarly, the descrip­ (Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinb. 37 : 146. 1978; tion ofthe sepals and fruit suggest I . obscura. 41: 363. 1983) accepted the identification by An alterna te possibility would be Ipomoea Rock without comment. Lauener (1978) did ochracea (Lindley) G .Don, but as far as note that he had not seen the type of the is known that species was first collected on Leveille epithet. Since the original set of Oahu in 1975. To further indicate that I. Faurie collections , on which the name was obscura is the correct species, the specimen in based, is not deposited at Edinburgh (I. C. Paris is clearly that taxon. Hedge, personal communication, 1985), the It seems that the conclusion to be drawn set's location has been unknown.Duplicate is reasonably clear. Both Rock (1911) and sets of the Faurie collections reside in Paris Lauener (1978) were wrong in their identifica­ (P), Bishop Musuem (BISH) , the Arnold tion of I . Ko loaensis . The protologue points Arboretum (A), and British Museum (BM). convincingly to I. obscura, and the specimen There is no specimen of the type collec­ in Paris supports this contention. I propose to tion (Faurie 1036) in Edinburgh. I could not typify the Leveille epithet with the Paris speci­ find one in Honolulu (BISH) ; my colleague men. Even if a duplicate ofFaurie 1036should be found that is I . imp erati, the protologue

I Manuscript accepted November 1985. argues against using it as the type. The fol­ 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atla ntic lowing typification will esta blish the identity University, Boca Raton, Florida . of the name for future reference. 62 Note on the Identity of Ipomoea koloaensis-AuSTIN 63

Ipomoea obscura (Linnaeus) Ker-Gawler, Ipomoea Koloaensis H. Leveille, Repert. Spec. Bot. Reg. 3: t. 239.1817. Nov. Regni Veg. 10: 154. 1911. Type : Convolvulus obscurus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl . ed. 2. Hawaii. Kauai. Koloa. dec. 1909. Faurie 230. 1762. 1036 (lectotype P, here designated).