KEW BULLETIN (2015) 70:31 ISSN: 0075-5974 (print) DOI 10.1007/S12225-015-9592-7 ISSN: 1874-933X (electronic) Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in Bolivia John R. I. Wood1,2, M. A. Carine3, D. Harris4, P. Wilkin2, B. Williams1 & R. W. Scotland1 Summary. An account of the genus Ipomoea L. in Bolivia is presented. 102 species are recognised in the country and each of these is described. Notes are provided on diagnostic features, distribution, habitat, phenology and conservation status. A dichotomous key to all species is provided together with additional informal keys focussing on outstanding features of morphology and ecology. Line drawings illustrate the new species described and pho- tographs are provided to facilitate identification and draw attention to key diagnostic features. Maps of the distr- ibution in Bolivia of selected species are also provided. 18 species are described as new of which 14 are endemic to Bolivia: Ipomoea appendiculata J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. chiquitensis J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. exserta J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. juliagutierreziae J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. gypsophila J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. huayllae J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. lactifera J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. longibarbis J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. mendozae J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. mucronifolia J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. odontophylla J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. paradae J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. psammophila J. R. I. Wood & Scotland and I. spinulifera J. R. I. Wood & Scotland. The remaining four are also found in Brazil: I. cerradoensis J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. cryptica J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, I. graniticola J. R. I. Wood & Scotland and I. mucronatoproducta J. R. I. Wood & Scotland. Of particular interest is I. lactifera which is a crop wild relative of the sweet potato. The name I. paludicola J. R. I. Wood & Scotland is provided for the plant usually treated as a form of I. asarifolia (Desr.) Roem. & Schult. but originally described by Meisner under the illegitimate name I. serpens Meisn. The new combination I. hewittacea (Kuntze) J. R. I. Wood & Scotland is made and is the correct name for the plant currently known as I. piresii O’Donell. The hitherto accepted names I. echioides Choisy, I. pedata G. Don, I. peredoi O’Donell, I. philipsonii O’Donell, I. piurensis O’Donell, I. santacrucensis O’Donell, I. sawyeri D. F. Austin and I. tapirapoanensis Hoehne are treated as synonyms of, respectively, I. paulistana (Silva Manso) Stellfeld, I. mauritiana Jacq., I. reticulata O’Donell, I. batatoides Choisy, I. acanthocarpa (Choisy) Aschers. & Schweinf., I. oranensis O’Donell, I. neurocephala Hallier f., and I. caloneura Meisn. I. subtomentosa (Chodat & Hassl.) O’Donell is treated as a var. subtomentosa (Chodat & Hassl.) J. R. I. Wood & Scotland of I. maurandioides Meisn. and a new variety erecta J. R. I. Wood & Scotland is described for I. bonariensis Hook. The following taxa are lectotypified: I. serpens Meisn., I. rubens Choisy, I. procurrens Meisn, I. chiliantha Hallier f., I. pinifolia Meisn., I. incarnata (Vahl) Choisy, I. hirsutissima var. boliviana Meisn., I. virgata Meisn., I. chondrosepala Hallier f., I. argentea Meisn., I. bonariensis Hook., I. pedata G. Don, I. magnifolia Rusby, I. purpurea var. diversifolia (Lindl.) O’Donell, Convolvulus paulistanus Silva Manso, C. cymosus Ruiz & Pavon and C. indivisus Vell., the last three being basionyms of I. paulistana, I. ramosissima Choisy and I. indivisa (Vell.) Hallier f. respectively. A neotype is provided for I. megapotamica Choisy to ensure current usage is maintained. Species of Turbina Raf. occurring in Bolivia are treated as belonging to Ipomoea based on ongoing molecular studies resulting in the new combination I. amazonica (D. F. Austin & Staples) J. R. I. Wood & Scotland and a new name I. sericosepala J. R. I. Wood & Scotland for Turbina cordata (Choisy) D. F. Austin & Staples. Key Words. Argentina, Brazil, chorology, conservation, crop wild relative, distribution, ecology, endemism, new species, Paraguay, Peru, phenology, South America, taxonomy. Introduction reflecting the varied habitats found in the country. As Bolivia has a diverse flora of approximately 12,165 recognised here Ipomoea has 102 species thus placing it native species of vascular plants (Jorgensen et al. 2015) within the top ten genera for size in the Bolivian flora. Accepted for publication 13 July 2015. 1 Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK. e-mail: [email protected] 2 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK. 3 Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK. 4 Royal Botanic Garden, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR, UK. © The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com 31 Page 2 of 124 KEW BULLETIN (2015) 70:31 It is also of some importance in the economy as the increasing our knowledge, particularly but not exclu- sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam., is commonly sively as a result of their involvement in projects linked to cultivated for its tubers, especially in the Yungas of La the Missouri Botanical Garden or the Darwin Initiative. Paz and parts of the Beni. Several species are also A majority of the new species and new records were cultivated for their ornamental flowers. found as a result of these projects, particularly those Our knowledge of the presence and distribution of based in eastern Bolivia. Ipomoea species in Bolivia has increased enormously in During the course of this study all literature related recent years. Probably the first species to be collected to Bolivian Ipomoea has been consulted and most type in Bolivia was I. haenkeana Choisy, but others were specimens have been traced. Herbarium specimens found at regular intervals throughout the 19th century have been examined in all four recognised Bolivian as a result of the travels of D’Orbigny, Mandon, herbaria (BOLV, HSB, LPB, USZ) as well as in Kuntze, Rusby, Bang and others. However, by 1958 herbaria in other countries which have important Foster could only list 33 specific names within the holdings of Bolivian plants, especially MO, NY and US three genera Ipomoea, Pharbitis Choisy and Calonyction in the United States, CTES and LIL in Argentina, and Choisy, which are all now regarded as belonging to K and BM in the United Kingdom. We have been able Ipomoea, and, of these 33 names, only 21 correspond to to create a database of over 1550 records of Ipomoea distinct species as recognised today, the other 12 being from Bolivia which is available on request from the misidentifications or synonyms of one kind or corresponding author. Herbarium collections have another. In the slightly more than 50 years since yielded many new records and the occasional new Foster’s checklist the total number of species has risen species, such as I. gypsophila J. R. I. Wood & Scotland, to 102, a nearly fivefold increase, and, of these, 18 are discovered as the result of examination of old described as new in this paper. specimens in the herbarium at Tucuman (LIL). In the neotropics Ipomoea comprises 400 – 450 However, the overwhelming majority of new discover- species but these species are not distributed equally ies were made as a result of exploration in the field, a throughout the region. They are concentrated in the testimony both to our ignorance of the Bolivian flora 15 – 25 degree latitudes of both hemispheres with in the past and to the importance of recent field work. major centres of diversity and endemism in the Another important aspect of our research is its northern hemisphere in Mexico, Cuba and the island inclusion within the broader context of the of Hispaniola, and in the southern hemisphere in the Foundation Monograph Project studying Ipomoea southern half of Brazil and the greater Chaco region, worldwide. We have studied extensive material from which our molecular studies (Williams et al. in prep.) neighbouring countries and have built on earlier show to be the geographical centre of a major taxonomic decisions, particularly those of the radiation of species. It is not surprising, therefore, Argentinian botanist Carlos O’Donell as well as more that the majority of species recognised for Bolivia are recent workers including Dan Austin and Rosangela found in the south of the country in the Departments Simão-Bianchini. In addition our studies have benefit- of Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz and Tarija. ted from the insights of our on-going molecular Ipomoea species are found in a wide range of habitats studies whose results will be published separately in a in tropical and subtropical parts of the country but are wide-ranging paper (Williams et al. in prep.). These uncommon above approximately 2000 m although have done much to confirm taxonomic decisions I. plummerae A. Gray reaches 4000 m in the Bolivian based on morphology and in many cases have Andes. They are entirely absent from the altiplano. provided assurance that our new species are well- However, they are present in all kinds of lowland habitat founded monophyletic entities. They have provided including evergreen tropical rainforest, deciduous or support to unite I. piurensis O’Donell with semi-deciduous dry forest, open savannas, semi-desert I. acanthocarpa (Choisy) Aschers. & Schweinf. from and swamp. They are often common in ruderal habitats, Africa, to separate I. paludicola J. R. I. Wood & along forest tracks, by streams and rock outcrops and Scotland from I. asarifolia (Desr.) Roem. & Schult., thrive in secondary bushland. and to recognise the cryptic species, I. cryptica J. R. I. Wood & Scotland. Our molecular studies have also demonstrated that Materials and methods Turbina Raf. is an entirely artificial polyphyletic This account is based in part on the field work of construct. Our concept of Ipomoea has been widened the first author, who has lived and worked in to include the American species of Turbina Raf., a Bolivia for lengthy periods since 1993 and has genus previously maintained on the basis of having made efforts to collect Ipomoea species and observe one-seeded capsules.