Ipomoea indica (Burm.) Merr., Interpr. Herb. Amboin.

15. Ipomoea indica (Burm.) Merr., Interpr. Herb. Amboin. View in CoL 445 (1917). Lectotype (designated by

Fosberg, 1976: 38): Besler, Aest. Ord. 13, fol. 8.

II. 1613.

Perennial herbs. Stems twining or prostrate, 1–1.5 mm in diam., rooting at the nodes, pubescent with retrorse hairs, subligneous at the base. Leaves simple; lamina ovate, entire or 3-lobed, 5–12 × 3–15 cm, cordate at the base, apex acuminate, pilose to glabrescent on both surfaces, more densely pubescent below; petiole 2–10 cm long, pubescent. Inflorescences: peduncle 0.5–15 cm long; bracteoles linear to lanceolate, or ovate-lanceolate. Flower: pedicel 2–10 cm long, pubescent like the stem. Sepals subequal, lanceolate, apex caudate, acuminate, 1.5–2.3 cm long, herbaceous, glabrescent, persistent in fruit; outer sepals ovate, apex long acuminate, 9–12 mm long, pubescent; inner sepals narrower. Corolla funnel-shaped, 5–8 cm long, blue or mauvepurple, often red-tinged; tube whitish at the base; limb flaring, glabrous, lobes broadly rounded, notched at apex. Stamens 5, included; filaments unequal, 17–30 mm, broadened and hairy at the base; anthers oblong, 3.5–5 (–5.3) mm long; pollen spinulose, pantoporate; disc annular, lobed. Ovary ovoid, 3–locular, 1–1.5 mm long, glabrous; style filiform, 30–33 mm long, glabrous; stigmas 2-globose. Fruits ovoid-globose, opening by 3 valves, 8–10 mm in diameter, glabrous; seeds 6, ovoid to ellipsoidal, 4–6 mm long, brown-black, covered with an appressed pubescence.

Vernacular names: blue dawn morning-glory, oceanblue morning-glory (English) (Mwanga- Mwanga et al., 2022).

Flowering & fruiting: It flowers in most months of the year (Wood et al., 2015).

Habitat: Found in roadside thicket sand along the borders of moist woodlands. They can grow up to elevations of 400 m.

Distribution: Native to tropical and subtropical America, cultivated as ornamental or escaped from cultivation elsewhere. In Ghana: Greater Accra and Eastern regions ( Fig. 7 View Fig ).

Specimens examined: GHANA, Greater Accra region, Accra Plains , 15.10.1954, G. K . Aghemaheie 679 ( GC); Christiansborg, 17.10.1954, F. W . Engmann 709 ( GC); Eastern region, Koforidua , 6 o 16’47” N, 00 o 27’44” W, alt. 150m, 17.10.1995, H. H GoogleMaps . Schmidt, J. Amponsah & A. Welsing 1751 ( MO, GC); Larteh, 18.10.1900, W. H . Johnson 822 ( GC) .

Conservation status: Not evaluated.

Uses: Cultivated as ornamental, sometimes escaped from cultivation or subspontaneous ( Mwanga-Mwanga et al., 2022).