Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 May 2018 | 10(6): 11827–11829

 

 

 

Clarke’s Morning Glory Ipomoea clarkei Hook.f. (Convolvulaceae): addition to the flora of Eastern Ghats

 

L. Rasingam1, J. Swamy2 & M. Sankara Rao3

 

1,2,3 Botanical Survey of India, Deccan Regional Centre, Sai Hills Colony, Attapur, Hyderabad, Telangana 500030, India

1 rasingam@gmail.com (corresponding author),2 swamy.2706@gmail.com, 3 mudadlas@gmail.com

 

 

 

doi: http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3553.10.6.11827-11829 

 

Editor: B. Ravi Prasad Rao, Sri KrishnadevarayaUniversity, Anantapuramu, India.     Date of publication: 26 May 2018 (online & print)

 

Manuscript details: Ms # 3553 | Received 07 June 2017 | Final received 09 May 2018 | Finally accepted 15 May 2018

 

Citation: Rasingam., J. Swamy & M.S. Rao (2018). Clarke’s Morning Glory Ipomoea clarkei Hook.f. (Convolvulaceae): addition to the flora of Eastern Ghats. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(6): 11827–11829; http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3553.10.6.11827-11829

 

Copyright: © Rasingam et al. 2018. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTTallows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.

 

Funding: Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata (Project title: Flora of Nagarjunasagar – SrisailamWildlife Sanctuary (Tiger Reserve).

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to Dr. ParamjitSingh, Director, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata for facilities and Dr. P. Lakshminarasimhan, Scientist E and Dr. J. Jeyanthi, Scientist D for sending the herbarium images.

 

 

 

IpomoeaL. one of the largest genus of the family Convolvulaceae, is represented by c. 650 species and mainly distributed in tropical and warm temperate regions of the world (Mabberley2008).  In India, the genus is represented by c. 65 species (Santapau & Henry 1973; Biju et al. 1998; Biju2002; Shimpale et al. 2012; Shimpaleet al. 2014; Sarvalingam et al. 2014), of which three species and one variety, viz. Ipomoea clarkei Hook. f. (Maharashtra), Ipomoea laxiflora H.J. Chowdhery & Debta (western Himalaya, Uttarakhand), Ipomoea salsettensis Santapau & Patel (Maharashtra), and Ipomoea deccanaAustin var. lobata (C.B. Clarke) Johari (Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra) are endemic to India (Singh et al. 2015).

While exploring the floristic wealth of Nagarjunasagar-SrisailamTiger Reserve, the authors have collected specimens of Ipomoea in flowering and fruiting, which was later identified as Ipomoea clarkei Hook. f.  Scrutiny of literature and consultations of major herbaria revealed that this species has been so far reported from Western Ghats of Maharashtra (Clarke 1885; Cooke 1908; Singh et al. 2015).  Hence, it is reported here as a new addition to the flora of Eastern Ghats.  A detailed description, notes, distributional map and colour photographs are provided to facilitate identification.

 

Taxonomic treatment

Ipomoea clarkei

Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 734 1885; Cooke, Fl. Bombay 2: 245.1908; P. Lakshiminaras.& Sharma, Fl. Nasik Dist. 327. 1991; Almeida, Fl. Maharashtra 3B: 323. 2001; Venkanna & Das, Fl. Maharashtra (Dicot.) 2: 460. 2001. Image 1 & 2

Specimen examined: 10138 (BSID), 7.xii.2012, 16.0676310N 78.8378580E,Neelganga, Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Andhra Pradesh, coll. L. Rasingam & M. Sankara Rao; 8005 (BSID), 23.x.2016, Saleswaram, 16.166630N & 78.636370E, Nagarjunasagar-SrisailamTiger Reserve, Telangana, 710m, coll. L. Rasingam & J. Swamy.
      Annual slender twining herb. Stem slender, hairy, c. 1.2mm in diam. Leaves 2.5–6 x 1.2–4 cm, ovate, deeply cordatewith rounded 0.8–1 cm lobes at base, entire along margins, long acuminate at apex; acumen c. 1cm long, bulbous based hairy on both surfaces, 5-nerved at base; petioles up to 3cm long, slender, sparsely hairy.  Inflorescence axillary solitary, 1-flowered cyme. Peduncle slender 7–12 mm long, sparsely hairy; bract c. 2mm long, subulate; bracteole 1-2, c. 1mm long.  Pedicel 8-15 mm long, slender, hairy, slightly thickned towards the apex in fruiting stage.  Flowers yellow, 3–4 cm long. Calyx 7–8 mm long, 5 lobed; lobes slightly connate at base, unequal, ovate-lanceolate, entire along margin, acute-acuminate at apex, bulbous based hairy on upper surface, glabrous on inner surface.  Corolla 3–4 cm long, infundibuliform, tube 2.5–3.2 cm long, limb c. 1.5cm in diam., glabrous.  Stamens 5, unequal,1.2–1.5 cm long, epipetalous; filaments 0.9–1.2 cm long, slightly dilated and hairy at base, glabrous and narrow towards apex; anthers ovate c. 3 x 0.5 mm long.  Gynoecium up to 2.2cm long, inserted; ovary ovate, c. 1.8 x 1.1 mm long; style c. 2cm long; stigma globose, 0.5mm in diam.  Capsule globose or sub orbicular, c. 1 x 0.9 cm, beaked, glabrous, 4-seeded; seeds c. 5 x 4 mm long, oblong, puberulous, dark brown.

Flowering and Fruiting: September–December.

Distribution: Endemic to western peninsular India (Maharashtra: Nasik, Pune and Thane districts); now from Eastern Ghats.

Habitat: Rare in mixed dry deciduous forests and open rocky grasslands in association with Asparagus racemosus Willd., Heteropogon contortus (L.) P.Beauv.ex Roem. & Schult. and Pentanema indicum (L.) Ling.  It is a very rare species collected from only two locations in the Tiger Reserve, in Srisailamand Saleswaram, and found a few individuals in each location.

Additional specimens examined: s.n. (Kew Barcode No. K001081777!), Malabar-Concan, coll. J.S. Law; s.n., (Kew Barcode No. K000830819!), Malabar-Concan, coll. J.E. Stocks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Biju, S.D., P. Matthew & V.M. Kumar (1998). Ipomoeamombassana Vatke (Convolvulaceae) - a new record for India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 22(2): 471–473.

Biju, S.D. (2002). Ipomoea parasitica (Kunth.) G. Don (Convolvulaceae): A new record for India. Rheedea 12(1): 77–79.

Clarke, C.B. (1885). Convolvulaceae, pp. 179–228. In: Hooker, J.D. (ed.). Flora of British India - Vol. 4. L.Reeve & Co., London.

Cooke, T. (1908). The Flora of the Presidency of Bombay - Vol. 2. Taylor & Francis, London, England, 222–261pp.

Mabberley, D.J. (2008). Mabberley’s Plant-Book A Portable Dictionary of Plants Their Classification and Uses - 3rd Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 432pp.

Santapau, H. & A.N. Henry (1973). A Dictionary of the Flowering Plants in India. Council of Scien-tific & Industrial Research, New Delhi, 83pp.

Sarvalingam, A., A. Rajendran, R. Sivalingam & P. Jayanthi(2014). Ipomoeamuelleri Benth. (Convolvulaceae)- a new record for Asian Continent. Jordan Journal of Biological Sciences 7(4): 299–300.

Shimpale, V.B., P.R. Kshirsagar& N.V. Pawar (2012). Ipomoea ochracea (Convolvulaceae)- A new record for India. Rheedea 22(2): 99–102.

Shimpale, V.B., M.A. Kare, D.K. Londhe & A.S. Bhuktar(2014). On the occurrence of Ipomoea tenuipes (Convolvulaceae) in India. Rheedea 24(2): 117–119.

Singh, P., K. Karthigeyan, P. Lakshminarasimhan & S.S. Dash (2015). Endemic Vascular Plants of India. Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, 144p.