B.D. Williams
Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, Ghana and University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
R.C. Francisco
Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas (Cep)-ISPTundavala, Bairro Comercial, Rua Patrice Lumumba, Lubango-Huíla, Angola
B. Mewded
Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China and Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Science, Yunnan, China
C.P. Oppong
Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, Ghana
C.B. Ayensu
Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, Ghana
C.W. Masinde
Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), Nairobi, Kenya
D.B. Chukwuma
Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria
A.G. Deresa
Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, Jimma Botanical Garden, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
D.D. Yeboah
Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, Ghana
O.D. Ahossou
Laboratory of Applied Ecology, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin
F. Rasaminirina
University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar ; Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Antananarivo, Madagascar
U.P. Igho-Osagie
Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, Nigeria
M.J. Korir
East African Herbarium, National Museum of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
K.B. Antwi-Boasiako
Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, Ghana
R.A. Mfodwo
Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, Ghana
A.S.M. Mutegeki
Tooro Botanical Gardens, Fort Portal, Uganda
P. Atta-Adjei
Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong-Ghana
P.K. Akomatey
Resource Management Support Centre, Forestry Commission of Ghana, Kumasi, Ghana
S. Kumordzie
Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong-Ghana
R. Borosova
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
C. Tang
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
A. Asase
Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, Ghana
G. Ameka
Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, Ghana
A.R.G. Simões
East African Herbarium, National Museum of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya; Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom; Systematic and Evolutionary Botany Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Abstract
Ghana’s plant diversity is estimated at 3,419 plant species, belonging to 1,222 genera. However, a Flora of Ghana is yet inexistent, and targeted floristic and taxonomic studies are still much needed to document the plant diversity of the country fully at the family, generic and species levels. This is essential for identifying priority conservation areas in the country and support further research in crop wild relatives or medicinal plants, which will help tackle food insecurity and improve livelihoods. In this study, we provide a taxonomic revision of the genus Ipomoea in Ghana to enhance their identification, conservation and sustainable utilization as food and medicine among other uses. An extensive literature review was carried out, including historical references and online taxonomic databases, to recover information on accepted names, type specimens and synonyms, followed by consultation of herbarium specimens at GC, to retrieve morphological information and database specimens. Specimen locality information was georeferenced, and records plotted onto distribution maps. As a result, this work provides an identification key to the species of genus Ipomoea of Ghana, nomenclatural information, comprehensive morphological descriptions, detailed list of examined specimens, distribution maps and notes on conservation status and traditional plant uses. In total, 28 species are fully described, 20 of which are native and eight introduced from the Americas; five are new records to Ghana.
