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Ipomoea alba

(Tropical White Morning-Glory)

Overview

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Vulnerable
Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Afrikaans:

Maanblom

Common Names in Dutch:

Nachtschone

Common Names in English:

Giant Moonflower, Moon Vine, Moonflower, Tropical White Morning-Glory, Tropical White Morningglory

Description

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Family Convolvulaceae

Herbs or shrubs , usually with twining or climbing stems or erect , often with milky juice. Leaves alternate, simple , entire, dissected , or compound , absent in parasitic species. Flowers solitary, axillary or in cymes, racemes , panicles, umbels, or capitula, bisexual , actinomorphic , usually 5-merous, often showy. Sepals free , often persistent , sometimes enlarged in fruit. Corolla sympetalous , funnelform , campanulate , salverform , or urceolate ; limb subentire or deeply lobed . Stamens alternating with corolla lobes , adnate to corolla; filaments filiform , equal or unequal in length ; anthers introrse , laterally and longitudinally dehiscing; pollen smooth or finely spiny . Disc ringlike or cupular. Ovary superior, mostly 2-carpellate, 1- or 2-loculed, rarely 3- or 4-loculed; ovules basal, erect. Styles 1 or 2, terminal (gynobasic in Dichondra) or very short or absent; stigma entire or 2- (or 3) -lobed, rarely peltate. Fruit a capsule, dehiscing by valves , circumscissile, or irregularly shattering, less often a berry or nutlike. Seeds usually trigonous , smooth or pubescent .

About 58 genera and 1650 species: widely distributed in tropical , subtropical , and temperate regions ; 20 genera and 129 species in China.

Aniseia biflora (Linnaeus) Choisy and A. stenantha (Dunn) Ling, recognized in the Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin., are here treated as Ipomoea biflora and I. fimbriosepala, respectively, because both have pantoporate and spinulose pollen. Strictly speaking, Aniseia is a neotropical genus of about five species, of which A. martinicensis (Jacquin) Choisy is widely naturalized as a common weed in rice paddies in Thailand and other southeast Asian countries. It will probably be found in S China eventually.

The family is important in China for food plants (Ipomoea batatas (Linnaeus) Lamarck and I. aquatica Forsskål), several ornamentals (Ipomoea), several medicinal plants (Erycibe, Ipomoea, Cuscuta, Merremia, Dichondra, Evolvulus), and numerous noxious weeds (Cuscuta, Calystegia, Convolvulus) .

Pollen aperture type and surface ornamentation are important characters in the classification of Convolvulaceae at the generic level and above. The most critical feature of the pollen is whether the grain surface is spiny or not. This distinction separates the eight tribes recognized by Austin (Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60: 306-412. 1973) into two rather cohesive groups. A low magnification (20 ) is adequate for discerning the presence or absence of minute spines on the surface.

For the successful identification of Convolvulaceae, both flowering and fruiting material should be collected. The first key to genera requires adequate fertile material with both flowers and fruit, and requires use of a pollen character. The second key may be used as an aid to identification where material is lacking flowers or fruit, but in some instances it is still partially dependent upon having both flowers and fruit.[1]

Genus Ipomoea

Herbs or shrubs , often twining , sometimes prostrate , erect , or floating. Leaves petiolate , entire, lobed , or divided . Inflorescences mostly axillary , cymose , 1- to many flowered, rarely paniculate ; bracts various. Flowers small to large. Sepals persistent , equal to unequal, ± enlarged in fruit. Corolla variously colored , rarely yellow, funnelform , campanulate , or salverform ; limb 5-lobed to entire, midpetaline bands well defined. Stamens included or exserted; filaments filiform , usually unequal, dilated and pubescent basally; anthers ovate or linear , longitudinally dehiscent , not twisted; pollen globular, pantoporate , finely spiny . Disc ringlike. Ovary 2-4-loculed, 4- or 6-ovuled. Style 1, filiform, included or exserted; stigma capitate, or 2- or 3-globulose. Capsule globose or ovoid , 4- or 6-valved. Seeds 4(-6) or fewer, glabrous or pubescent.

Approximately 500 species: widely distributed in tropical to warm temperate regions , especially of North and South America; 29 species in China.[2]

Physical Description

Species Ipomoea alba

Herbs annual or perennial , twining , usually glabrous , rarely puberulent . Stems to 10 m , terete , smooth or with soft prickles, sap milky . Petiole 5-20 cm; leaf blade ovate to ± circular in outline, 10-20 X 5-16 cm, base cordate, margin entire, angular to 3-lobed, apex acuminate, mucronulate . Inflorescences helicoid cymes, rarely dichasial, 1- to several flowered; peduncle stout, terete, 1-24 cm; bracts early deciduous, small. Pedicel 7-15 cm, clavate distally, enlarged in fruit. Flowers nocturnal , fragrant. Sepals elliptic to ovate, ± leathery, glabrous; outer 3 sepals 5-12 mm, apex with a stout spreading awn 4-9 mm; inner 2 sepals 7-15 mm, mucronate . Corolla white, with greenish bands , salverform ; tube 7-12 cm, ca. 5 mm in diam.; limb 7-12 cm in diam., shallowly 5-undulate. Stamens exserted; filaments inserted in apical 1/2 of corolla tube, glabrous; anthers sagittate basally. Pistil exserted; ovary narrowly conical , glabrous. Stigma 2-lobed. Capsule ovoid , 2.5-3 cm, apiculate . Seeds white, brown, or black, ca. 10 7-8 mm, glabrous. 2n = 28*, 30*, 38*. [source]

Habit: Vine , Subshrub , Forb/herb

Flowers: Bloom Period: April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November. • Flower Color: near white, white

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 8-10' tall.

Habitat

Wet forests , watercourses , disturbed areas, cultivated and also naturalized sporadically.[3].

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 4,057 meters (0 to 13,310 feet).[4]

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Annual

Growth

Culture: Space 12-15" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.1 • Maximum pH: 6.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. C. aculeatum var. lobatum (H. Hallier) C. Y. Wu
  2. C. album (Linnaeus) House
  3. C. bona-nox (Linnaeus) Bojer
  4. C. bona-nox var. lobata H. Hallier
  5. C. speciosum Choisy
  6. Calonyction aculeatum (L.) House
  7. Calonyction aculeatum (Linnaeus) House
  8. Calonyction album (L.) House
  9. Convolvulus aculeatus Linnaeus
  10. I. aculeata var. bona-nox (Linnaeus) Kuntze
  11. I. bona-nox Linnaeus.
  12. Ipomoea aculeata (Linnaeus) Kuntze
  13. Ipomoea bona-nox L.

Notes

Publishing author : House Publication : Bull . Torrey Bot. Club 31: 590 1904 Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication: Sp. pl. 1:161. 1753

Name verified on 01-Apr-1987 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 21-Jul-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Ipomoea

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 1572 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

I. abrupta (Bush Yam) · I. abscissa · I. abutilodes · I. abutilodes var. hartwegiana · I. abutilodes var. kunthiana · I. abutiloides · I. abyssinica · I. acanthocarpa · I. acaponetensis · I. acetosaefolia · I. acetosaefolia var. longifolia · I. acetosellaefolia · I. acetosellifolia · I. acetosifolia · I. aculeata · I. aculeata var. heterophylla · I. acuminata · I. acuminata 'Blue Dawn' (Blue Dawn Morning Glory) · I. acutangula · I. acutiflora · I. acutisepala · I. adenioides (Trumpet Flower Morning Glory) · I. adumbrata · I. aegopoda · I. aegyptia · I. aequisepala · I. affinis · I. afra · I. afzelii · I. aitoni · I. aitonii · I. 'Akatsuki no Hikari' (Morning Glory) · I. 'Akatsuki No Murasaki' · I. alata · I. alatipes · I. alba (Tropical White Morning-Glory) · I. alba 'Giant White' · I. alba 'Meekerii' (Moonflower) · I. albidiflora · I. albiflora · I. albivenia (Wild Cotton) · I. alexandrae · I. alpina · I. alterniflora · I. althoffiana · I. altissima · I. alulata · I. amambayensis · I. ambigua · I. amnicola (Red-Center Morning-Glory) · I. amoena · I. amoenula · I. ampamana · I. amparoana · I. ampelopsifolia · I. amplexicaulis · I. ampliata · I. ampullacea (Ipomoea) · I. anceps · I. ancisa · I. andersonii (Morning Glory) · I. andongensis · I. androyensis · I. anemophoba · I. angularis · I. angulata · I. angulata var. gnidoides · I. angulata var. latifolia · I. angulata var. linearis · I. angustata · I. angustifolia · I. angustisecta · I. angustisepala · I. anisomeres · I. anisomeres var. sagittiformis · I. antillana · I. antonschmidii · I. aphylla · I. apiculata · I. aprica · I. aquatica (White-Flowering Kangkong) · I. arachnoidea · I. arachnosperma (Ipomoea) · I. arborea · I. arborescens (Tree Morning Glory) · I. arborescens var. pachylutea · I. arenaria · I. arenicola · I. argentaurata · I. argentea · I. argentifolia · I. argentina · I. argentinensis · I. argentinica · I. argillicola (Ipomoea) · I. argyreia · I. argyreioides · I. argyrophylla · I. aristolochiaefolia · I. aristolochiifolia

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 22, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Ruizheng Fang & George Staples "Convolvulaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 271. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Clifton E. Nauman "Ipomoea". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 301. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. "Ipomoea alba". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 309. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  4. Mean = 433.690 meters (1,422.867 feet), Standard Deviation = 598.760 based on 373 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/1/2009