Numerical taxonomy of some Ipomoea (linn.) Species In South-West Nigeria.

Abstract

Numerical taxonomic studies were conducted on thirty six species of Ipomoea found in Southwestern Nigeria to improve the classification and identification of this relatively poorly known genus. Twenty-three species were collected from natural populations; thirteen species were sourced from herbarium specimens. For the field samples, specimen identification was done at the IFE herbarium, following which voucher specimens were deposited. Qualitative and quantitative characters were recorded from the vegetative and reproductive parts of the specimen. The Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Single Linkage Cluster Analysis (SLCA) reveal radial distribution of the Ipomoea species when the power of variance reduces; at high percentage total variance, they are separated into their phenons. The interrelationships observed among the traditional sections delimited by the quantitative analyses further support the suggestion of monophyly of Ipomoea.

Key words: Ipomoea, Numerical, Taxonomy, Monophyletic, Sections