Ipomoea oblongata E.Mey. ex Choisy

Convolvulaceae, Maria Leonor Gonçalves. Flora Zambesiaca 8:1. 1987

Morphology General Habit

Perennial forming several to many annual prostrate or, when still young, suberect stems from a large thick fusiform tuberous root.

Morphology Stem

Stems up to 2 m. long, often suffruticose at base, occasionally thinner, thinly or occasionally densely pubescent with stiff yellowish or brownish hairs, like the petiole, leaf laminas, peduncles and calyces, very rarely glabrous.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf lamina very variable in size and shape, usually oblong or elliptic, varying to ovate or linear 2–10 × 1–9 cm., entire with usually rounded, truncate or subcordate base, sometimes broadly cuneate or cordate, obtuse or mucronate, sometimes emarginate, acute or broadly rounded at the apex, with the margin ciliate to sometimes densely ciliate upper surface thinly covered with strigose usually yellowish hairs, lower surface as thinly as the upper or more densely so; petioles usually much shorter than the laminas but occasionally about as long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences 1-flowered, sometimes 2-flowered, rarely 3- or 4-flowered; peduncle terete, usually shorter than the leaves; bracteoles very variable but usually lanceolate, acute, hairy like the calyx, sometimes broadly oblong; pedicels usually very short, rarely exceeding 6 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals generally lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 15–22 mm. long, subequal (inner ones slightly wider) but more or less unequal in specimens with broader oblong or ovate sepals in which the inner ones are narrower; usually acute or acuminate with very acute tips, rarely subobtuse; outer ones more or less densely covered with usually stiff yellowish hairs.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla magenta, funnel-shaped 3·5–6 cm. long; midpetaline areas usually thinly covered with silky appressed hairs, rarely quite glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits only rarely produced, subglobose, glabrous, dark brown abruptly apiculate and the apiculus crowned by the persistent style base, enclosed by the slightly accrescent and coriaceous sepals, 1–4-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds glabrous, grey, finely punctate to smooth.

Convolvulaceae, Maria Leonor Gonçalves. Flora Zambesiaca 8:1. 1987

Morphology General Habit

Prostrate perennial with fusiform tuberous root.

Morphology Stem

Stems stout, often angular up to 2 m. long, usually densely covered with short stiff hairs as are petioles, peduncles, bracts and pedicels.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf lamina oblong to ovate-elliptic, 6–14 × 4–7·5 cm., broadly cuneate, truncate, rounded to shallowly cordate at the base, obtuse, emarginate or rounded and mucronate, occasionally acute, at the apex, thinly covered on both surfaces with appressed or somewhat spreading short stiff hairs, sometimes very densely so; petiole 1–7.5 cm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a pedunculate, dense, few-flowered capitate cyme, occasionally reduced to a single flower; peduncle terete, 3–13 cm. long; bracteoles lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate or narrowly ovate-lanceolate, usually narrowed at the base, 2–3.5 cm. long, hairy; pedicels very short or absent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals unequal, 18–3·5 cm. long, outer ones ovate-lanceolate to oblong, inner ones narrower, all usually acute to long acuminate, hairy.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla funnel-shaped, magenta, 4–7·5 cm. long; midpetaline areas silky-pilose.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule and seeds unknown.