Description from
Flora of China
?Convolvulus distillatorius Blanco; ?Merremia distillatoria (Blanco) Merrill, p.p.
Climbers or sprawlers, perennial. Axial parts densely gray or
rust-colored pubescent or mealy when young, later glabrescent.
Stems terete, fistulose. Petiole 3-17 cm; leaf blade broadly ovate
to circular, 8.5-18(-20) X 8-16(-20) cm, densely rust or grayish
tomentose when young, later glabrescent adaxially, base cordate,
apex abruptly acuminate. Peduncle to 30(-60?) cm, branched near
apex. Pedicel thickened distally, with a thick lobed ring below
sepals, 2-3 cm, 4-4.5 cm in fruit. Sepals obovate to broadly elliptic
or circular, concave, ± equal, 1.5-1.8 cm, glabrous, margin
membranous, apex obtuse or slightly retuse. Fruiting sepals to
2 cm, forming a cup around capsule. Corolla reddish (white with
a tinge of red, according to Elmer's protologue), broadly funnelform,
3-4 cm, midpetaline bands pubescent apically; limb slightly 5-lobed.
Stamens 1.6-1.8 cm; filaments with 2 lines of hairs below insertion;
anthers spirally twisted. Ovary conical, glabrous. Style ca. 2.8
cm. Fruit ovoid, 1.5-1.8 cm; valves at first brown-black, later
straw colored. Seeds black, ca. 6 mm, tomentose-villous.
Van Ooststroom (Blumea 3: 360-361. 1939) has discussed the ambiguity surrounding the taxon Blanco described as Convolvulus distillatorius, and whether it was indeed identical with the one Merrill had before him when he made the combination Merremia distillatoria. Specimens cited by Merrill disagree in several points with Blanco's original description. Van Ooststroom therefore set aside this ambiguous name and took up Elmer's later-published M. similis, for which the typification and original description are quite clear. The correct application of binomial requires further study, including access to types not presently available.
Chang Ching-en (Fl. Taiwan 4: 385. 1978) recorded Merremia
similis from the extreme southern portion of Taiwan on the
Hengchun Peninsula. This is the first record of the species outside
the Philippines.
Taiwan (Hengchun Peninsula) [Philippines].