Ipomoea tuberosa

• Interesting Facts
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Description

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]

Taxonomy

Similar Species

Members of the genus Ipomoea

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 322 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

I. abrupta (Bush Yam) · I. acuminata 'Blue Dawn' (Blue Dawn Morning Glory) · I. adenioides (Trumpet Flower Morning Glory) · I. alba (Giant Moonflower) · I. alba 'Meekerii' (Moonflower) · I. albivenia (Wild Cotton) · I. amnicola (Red-Center Morning-Glory) · I. ampullacea (Ipomoea) · I. andersonii (Morning Glory) · I. aquatica (Chinese Water Spinach) · I. arachnosperma (Ipomoea) · I. arborescens (Tree Morning Glory) · I. argillicola (Ipomoea) · I. armentalis (Ipomoea) · I. asarifolia (Ipomoea) · I. aurantiaca (Ipomoea) · I. balioclada (Ipomoea) · I. barbatisepala (Canyon Morning-Glory) · I. batatas ('uala) · I. batatas 'Ace of Spades' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Amish White Bunch' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Batas' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Beauregard' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Bermuda White' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Betty's' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Blackie' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Black Heart' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Brinkley White' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Bunch Porto Rico' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Carolina Green' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Carolina Purple' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Carver' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Centennial' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Continental Red' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Darby' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Evangeline' (Sweet Potato 'evangeline') · I. batatas 'Frazier White' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Georgia Jet' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Georgia Red' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Georgia Yam' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Hernandez' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Ivis White Cream' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Ivory Jewel' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Japanese' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Jewel' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Korean Purple' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Laceleaf' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Lady Fingers' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Margarita' (Margarita Sweet Potato Vine) · I. batatas 'Martins' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Maryland 810' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Maynard Family White' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Memphis Pride' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Millard Cooper' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Nancy Hall' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'New Jewell' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Oakleaf' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Oklahoma Red' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Old Henry' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Old Kentucky' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Old Orange' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Orange Oakleaf' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Pink Frost' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Poplar Root' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Purple' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Qualls' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Red Ivy Leaf' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Red Yam' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Regal' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Ringley's Porto Rico' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Seki Blapalm' (Sweet Potato 'seki Blapalm') · I. batatas 'Southern Queen' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Spanish Red' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Stoker Red' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Sumor' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Sweet Carolina Bronze' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Sweet Caroline Bronze' (Sweet Caroline Bronze Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Sweet Caroline Green Yellow' (Ornamental Sweet Potato 'sweet Caroline Green Yellow') · I. batatas 'Sweet Heart Light Green' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Sweet Heart Purple' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Sweet Heart Red' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Tennessee Top Mark' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Terrace Lime' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Tricolor' (Ornamental Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Vardaman' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Violetta' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Wakenda' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'White Hayman' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'White Jewel' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'White Queen' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'White Star' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'White Triumph' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Willow Leaf' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Yellow Jersey' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatas 'Yellow Yam' (Sweet Potato) · I. batatus 'Margarita' (Margarita Sweet Potato Vine) · I. beraviensis (Hawaiian Bell) · I. biflora (White Woodrose) · I. bolusiana (Ipomoea) · I. bonariensis (Ipomoea)

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Further Reading

• A dictionary of the flowering plants and ferns, by J. C. Willis. CambridgeThe University Press, 1919 url p. 51, p. 605.
• A general system of gardening and botany. Founded upon Miller's Gardener's dictionary, and arranged according to the natural system. By George Don. London, Printed for C. J. G. and F. Rivington, 1831-38. url p. 279.
• A handbook of tropical gardening and planting, with special reference to Ceylon, by H. F. Macmillan. .. Colombo, H.W. Cave & co., 1914. url p. 441.
• A manual flora of Egypt / by Reno Muschler. With a preface by Paul Ascherson and Georg Schweinfurth. Berlin, R. Friedlaender, 1912. url p. 1203.
• A manual of gardening for Bengal and Upper India. By Thomas A. C. Firminger. .. Calcutta, Thacker, Spink and co.; [etc., etc.]1874. url p. 510.
• A voyage of discovery into the South Sea and Beering's [sic] Straits, for the purpose of exploring a north-east passage undertaken in the years 1815-1818, at the expense of His Highness the chancellor of the empire, Count Romanzoff, in the ship Rurick, under the command of the lieutenant in the Russian Imperial Navy, O London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. .., 1821. url .
• An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, Manila, Bureau of Printing, 1922-26. url p. 363, p. 365.
• Annales du Jardin botanique de Buitenzorg. Leiden [etc.]: E. J. Brill [etc.] url p. 256.
• Biologia centrali-americana; or, Contributions to the knowledge of the fauna and flora of Mexico and Central America. London, Pub. for the editors by R. H. Porter and Dulau & co., 1879-88. url .
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. url p. 45.
• Bulletin / Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology. Washington: G.P.O., 1901-1971. url p. 267.
• Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 33 1906 New York: Torrey Botanical Club, 1870-1996 url p. 499.
• Catalogue of scientific papers (1800-1900) Comp. by the Royal society of London. Cambridge, C. J. Clay and sons, 1867-1902; url p. 752.
• Catalogue of scientific papers, 1800-1900. Compiled by the Royal Society of London. London, C.J. Clay and Sons, 1867-1902 [etc.] Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1914-25. url p. 752.
• Catalogue of the African plants London, Printed by order of the Trustees, 1896-1901. url .
• Catalogue of the African plants collected by Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch in 1853-61. .. London, Printed by order of the Trustees, 1896-1901. url p. 730.
• Check-list of the species of fishes known from the Philippine Archipelago, Manila, Bureau of printing, 1910. url p. 534.
• Colonial and Indian Exhibition, 1886 official catalogue. London: W. Clowes, 1886. url .
• Contributions from the Botanical Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1892-1932. url p. 30.
• Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 23 1920-1926 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 1200, p. 192, p. 201, p. 542.
• Contributions from the University of Michigan Herbarium. 14 1980 Ann Arbor: University Herbarium, University of Michigan, 1939- url p. 117.
• Contributions to the natural history of the Bermudas. Washington, Govt. print. off., 1884. url p. 45.
• Dedication papers: scientific papers presented at the dedication of the laboratory building and plant houses, April 19-21, 1917. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1918. url p. 83.
• Edwards, S. T. The Botanical register: consisting of coloured figures of. .. 9 1823 London: Printed for James Ridgway, 1815-1828. url .
• Flora Malesiana. general editor, C.G.G.J. van Steenis. Djakarta: Noordhoff-Kolff, 1950- url p. 447.
• Flora Vitiensis nova: a new Flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only) / Albert C. Smith. Lawaii, Hawaii: Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, 1979- url p. 47.
• Flora of Guatemala / Paul C. Standley and Louis O. Williams. 24 1970 Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, 1970. url p. 74.
• Flora of Peru / by J. Francis Macbride. 13 1959 Chicago, [Ill.]: Field Museum of Natural History, [1959] url p. 509.
• Flora of the island of St. Croix. By Charles Frederick Millspaugh. 1 1902 Chicago, 1902. url p. 521.
• Flora of the islands of Margarita and Coche, Venezuela / by John Robert Johnston. Boston: Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, 1909. url p. 284.
• Flora of tropical Africa. London, L. Reeve and co., 1868- url p. 103.
• Garden and forest; a journal of horticulture, landscape art and forestry. New York: The Garden and forest publishing co., 1888-97. url p. 384.
• Grisebach, A. H. R. Flora of the British West Indian islands /by A.H.R. Grisebach. [1859]-18 London, L. Reeve, 1864. url p. 789.
• Inventory of seeds and plants imported / U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry. Washington, D.C.: G.P.O., 1914-1924. url p. 113, p. 35, p. 76.
• List of intercepted plant pests / United States Department of Agriculture, Plant Quarantine and Control Administration. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O.], 1932- url p. 12, p. 24, p. 27.
• Memoirs / Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Brooklyn, N.Y.: The Garden, 1918-1936. url p. 83.
• Oliver, D. Flora of tropical Africa /by Daniel Oliver. .. assisted by other botanists. 4 1905-1906 London: L. Reeve and co., 1868-1999. url p. 104.
• Ornamental gardening in Florida, by Charles Torrey Simpson; a treatise on the decorative plants adapted to Florida and their cultivation, with suggestions for the ornamentation of Florida homes and grounds. Little River, Fla., The author, 1916. url p. 161.
• Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 1841- url p. 34, p. 35.
• Studies in seeds and fruits, an investigation with the balance, London, Williams and Norgate, 1912. url , , .
• The Gardeners' chronicle: a weekly illustrated journal of horticulture and allied subjects. 2 1874 London: [Gardeners Chronicle], 1874-1955. url p. 152.
• The Philippine journal of science. 9 1914 Manila. url p. 132.
• The flora of the American Virgin Islands / N.L. Britton. New York: New York Botanical Garden, 1918. url p. 83.
• The vegetable kingdom: or, The structure, classification, and uses of plants, illustrated upon the natural system / by John Lindley. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1846. url p. 631.
• Fang Rhui-cheng & Huang Shu-hua in Wu Cheng-yih, ed. 1979. Convolvulaceae. Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 64(1): 1-153.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2782381
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 4028220

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]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.