atoll research bulletin no. 392 the flora of - Smithsonian Institution ...

across the limb, pedicels, about 2 cm long, bracteate; sepals (calyx-lobes) subequal, 1.5
to 2.5 cm long, broadly suborbicular, rounded, persistent, containing slimy sap; corolla,
7 to 12 cm long, funnelform, attractive, white with pale greenish bands, opening about
midnight, fading and wilting by morning; fruit, 2 to 3 cm long, globose, dry, borne in
the persistent calyx, splitting into 4 1-seeded capsules; seeds, about 1 cm long, dark,
glabrous or with two rows of minute hairs. Found climbing on trees in coastal and
plateau forests and creeping on open ground in some ruderal places. Leaves possibly used
medicinally by Nauruans? 3(58666, 58735), 4(131N), 5(l l8), 6, 7.
Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) Sweet ssp. brasiliense (L.) v. Ooststr. "beach morning-glory"
erekogo, irekogo (Burges)(N); te ruku (K); fue (T)
syns. Convolvulus brasiliensis L. ; C. maritimus Desr. ; I. brasiliense (L.) Sweet
Indigenous. Pantropical. Abundant. Vigorous, prostrate, creeping, somewhat
fleshy, herbaceous, vine, with a long main root and reddish-purple stems, rooting at
nodes and extending up to 5 to 10 m; leaves, 5 to 12 cm long and wide, sometimes wider
than long, alternate, glabrous, somewhat goat-foot-shaped and folded along the midvein,
somewhat succulent, ovate-orbicular, base cordate to rounded, apex notched or 2-lobed,
areolate veiny; petioles, 2 to 10 cm long, sometimes longer than blade, with 2 glands at
apex; flowers, borne in solitary or several-flowered cymes, on long axillary peduncles to
about 15 cm long; sepals (calyx-lobes) to 1 cm long, ovate, mucronate or notched at
apex; corolla, 4 to 5 cm long, funnelform, dark rosy-pink to violet, purplish in the
throat: fruit, about 1.3 to 2.5 cm across, subglobose capsule, splitting at the top into 4
sections; seeds, 4, densely pubescent. Found on beach sand, not far from the sea, and on
coastal vegetation. Leaves crushed to yield juice which prevents hair from falling out. 2,
3(58729), 4(129N), 5(29), 6, 7.
Merremia quinquefolia (L.) Hal1.f.
Convolvulus quinquefolia L.
Recent introduction. W. Indies. Herbaceous prostrate or climbing vine; leaves,
palmately compound with 5 leaflets, leaflets oblong to lanceolate, 2.5 to 6 cm long;
petioles, 2 to 5 (rarely up to 9) cm long; flowers, borne in axillary, solitary or severalflowered
cymes, the peduncles glandular in the upper part and sometimes mixed with
spreading bristly hairs; sepals, 4 to 8 mm long, narrowly ovate to oblong, obtuse,
subequal or the outer ones shorter; corolla, 1.8 to 2.5 cm long, pale yellow or whitish;
fruit, about 9 mm long, capsular, globose, stramineous, 4-valved; seeds, about 4.5 mm
long, shortly curled-pilose, blackish. Weed seen in one place in semi-open area on
escit~pmen t . -3658765). - - - -- - - -- - - - ---