Ipomoea aspera (Choisy) Vatke, Linnaea

Ipomoea aspera (Choisy) Vatke, Linnaea View in CoL 43: 508. 1882; Staples & Traiperm, Thai For. Bull. (Bot.) 36: 95. 2008; Staples in Santisuk et al., Fl. Thailand 10(3): 409. 2010. Calonyction asperum Choisy, Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève View in CoL 6: 442. 1834. Convolvulus asper Wall., Numer. List no. 1388. 1829. nom. inval.

Type: BANGLADESH, Sillet ( Sylhet), s.d., Wallich Cat. No. 1388 ( syntype G-DC-00135407 digital image!). Fig. 1 View Fig

Herbaceous climber. Stems terete with short fleshy spines, greenish, 2.5–4.6 mm in diam. Leaves ovate-cordate, 8.5–13.5 × 7.5–11.3 cm, cordate at base, caudate-acuminate at apex, margins sparsely dentate (never deeply lobed), rarely entire, glabrous, lateral nerves 7–8 pairs; petioles slender, 5.5–9.5 cm long. Flowers nocturnal, solitary, axillary; pedicels stout, 1.1–1.6 cm long, gradually thickened upwards. Sepals unequal; outer 2 smaller, ovate-elliptic, 13.5–14.5 × 8.5–9.5 mm, obtuse at apex; inner ones larger, oblong-elliptic, 17.2–21.5 × 8.4–12.6 mm, margins thinner, apex rounded, mucronate. Corolla salverform, white, greenish outside; tube 8.5–9.7 cm long; limb shallowly 5-lobed, 6–7 cm in diam., midpetaline bands distinct, white or creamy. Stamens inserted near the base of corolla tube; anthers elliptic-oblong, longitudinally dehiscent. Carpels included, ovary glabrous. Fruits not seen.

Flowering: October –November.

Habitat: On shady hill slopes in evergreen forest at altitudes ranging from 58– 120 m. It was found climbing on shrubs and trees present in the vicinity, occasionally forming dense clumps. The main components of the forest were viz. Schima wallichii (DC.) Korth. ( Theaceae ), Callicarpa arborea Roxb. ( Lamiaceae ), Ficus cyrtophylla (Wall. ex Miq.) Miq. ( Moraceae ), Dendrocnide sinuata (Blume) Chew , Oreocnide integrifolia (Gaudich.) Miq. ( Urticaceae ), Ardisia khasiana C.B. Clarke ( Primulaceae ), Macropanax dispermus (Blume) Kuntze ( Araliaceae ), Psychotria monticola Kurz ( Rubiaceae ), etc.