''Ipomoea oenotherae'' is a species of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...

of the morning glory genus, ''

Ipomoea ''Ipomoea'' () is the largest genus in the plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 600 species. It is a large and diverse group, with common names including morning glory, water convolvulus or water spinach, sweet potato, bindweed, moonfl ...

'', in the family

Convolvulaceae Convolvulaceae (), commonly called the bindweeds or morning glories, is a family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species. These species are primarily herbaceous vines, but also include trees, shrubs and herbs. The tubers of several spe ...

. It derives its name from the resemblance it bears to plants in the genus ''

Oenothera ''Oenothera'' is a genus of about 145 species of herbaceous flowering plants native to the Americas. It is the type genus of the family Onagraceae. Common names include evening primrose, suncups, and sundrops. They are not closely related to ...

''. ''Ipomoea oenotherae'' is a succulent and a cryptophyte.

Description

Vegetative features

''Ipomoea oenotherae'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

succulent plant. It forms a fleshy, elongated

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

ous rootstock, 30 cm in length, from which leaves grow every spring. These are followed by extended, prostrate or ascending stems which are up to 30 cm long. The young stems are angular and initially densely covered with silver white hairs (pilose); these later become hairless.

Flowers

The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are solitary and axillary. The linear-subulate

bracteole In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...

is 10 to 15 mm long and 0.5 to 1 mm wide. The rather club-shaped peduncle has a length of up to 15 mm. The flower is hermaphroditic and displays fivefold radial symmetry. The five unequal, often pink

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s are up to 15 mm long, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate and subaristate. The five mauve to violet petals are narrowly funnel-shaped, and 2.3 to 5 centimetres long. There is only a single ring of five

stamens The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

. The plant flowers during the summer.

Fruit and seeds

The spherical (globose), straw-coloured, smooth capsule has a diameter of approximately 6 mm. The

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s are up to 4 mm long, densely appressed, pubescent, velvety-tomentose with grayish hair.

Taxonomy

The plant was first described in 1882, when it was given the name ''Convolvulus oenotherae'' by

Georg Carl Wilhelm Vatke Georg Carl Wilhelm Vatke (12 August 1849, in Berlin – 6 April 1889, in Berlin) was a German botanist who collected spermatophytes during 1868–1876 in Austria, Germany, Madagascar and Angola. He was an assistant at the botanical gardens in Berli ...

Johannes Gottfried Hallier Johannes (Hans) Gottfried Hallier (6 July 1868 – 10 March 1932) was a German botanist born in Jena. He studied botany and zoology at the University of Jena under Christian Ernst Stahl (1848–1919) and Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919), and contin ...

subsequently classified the species as belonging to the genus ''Ipomoea'' in 1894.

Distribution and habitat

The distribution of ''Ipomoea oenotherae'' has been described as ranging "from Ethiopia and Somalia southwards to Namibia, Botswana and the Northern Province, North-West and Gauteng in South Africa". It is described as "not gregarious", meaning that it grows in open rather than dense clusters. Furthermore, it is described as "nowhere common".

Habitat

''I. oenotherae'' grows by and large in "mixed

bushveld The Bushveld (from af, bosveld, af, bos 'bush' and af, veld) is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa. It encompasses most of Limpopo Province and a small part of ...

". It also grows in

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

, and is found both by the side of the road and on cultivated ground (often on sandy or rocky soils). ''I. oenotheraes altitude range is listed variously as approximately 1580 m, 1640–2160 m, and 1000–1580 m.

Distribution in Southern Africa

''I. oenotherae'' is found all across Southern Africa: in

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...

and

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

, as well as in many parts of South Africa, including

Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...

, and the North-West. Certain older sources additionally claim that the species is also found in the regions formerly known as the

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

, and the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

. It is also known to be present in the area formerly known as

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Distribution in Eastern Africa

Whilst ''I. oenotherae'' seems to predominantly inhabit Southern Africa, several specimens have been collected in Eastern Africa: in the Unyoro forests of Uganda, in the town of

Moyale Moyale is a market town on the border between Ethiopia and Kenya, and is the administrative centre for two Ethiopian woredas, Moyale of Oromia Region and Moyale of Somali Region. Moyale is the main border post on the Nairobi-Addis Ababa road, ...

(split between Ethiopia and Kenya), and in Somalia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1672240 oenotherae Plants described in 1882 Flora of Northeast Tropical Africa Flora of East Tropical Africa Flora of South Tropical Africa Flora of Southern Africa