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moon flower, tropical white morning-glory

common morning-glory, tall morning-glory

Habit Perennials. Annuals.
Stems

twining, usually prickly, sometimes rooting at nodes.

twining.

Leaf

blades broadly ovate to triangular or 3–5-lobed, 50–150 × 50–150 mm, base cordate, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely hairy.

blades cordate, ovate, or 3(–5)-lobed, not palmatisect, 10–110(–180) × 10–120(–160) mm, base cordate, surfaces ± hairy, hairs ± antrorse.

Peduncles

glabrous.

hairy, hairs retrorse.

Flowers

nocturnal;

sepals ovate, 7–15 mm, ± coriaceous, apex acute, outers each with midrib extending as ± corniform appendage;

corolla white, throat green-banded inside, salverform, 70–150 mm.

sepals elliptic, lance-oblong, or oblong, 8–15 × (1.5–)2.5–4.5 mm, herbaceous, base ± hairy, hairs dark at base, narrowed distal portion shorter to slightly longer than dilated base, apex acute to abruptly acuminate;

corolla blue (purple, red, or white in cultivars), tube white inside, funnelform, (25–)40–60 mm, limb 24–48(–70) mm diam. 2n = 30.

Fruits

20–30 mm.

2n

= 30.

Ipomoea alba

Ipomoea purpurea

Phenology Flowering Sep–May. Flowering Jul–Nov.
Habitat Forest margins, swamps, moist sites. Abandoned plantings, canyons, disturbed sites, fields, stream banks.
Elevation 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.) 100–2300 m. (300–7500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; LA; SC; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Asia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WV; ON; QC; Mexico [Introduced in North America; introduced also in West Indies, Central America, South America, Eurasia, Africa, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In the flora area, Ipomoea purpurea may be native in southeastern United States and introduced elsewhere. Populations in California, Oregon, and Washington may not be truly naturalized.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 14. FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Convolvulaceae > Ipomoea Convolvulaceae > Ipomoea
Sibling taxa
I. amnicola, I. aquatica, I. asarifolia, I. barbatisepala, I. batatas, I. cairica, I. capillacea, I. cardiophylla, I. carnea, I. coccinea, I. cordatotriloba, I. costellata, I. cristulata, I. dumetorum, I. hederacea, I. hederifolia, I. imperati, I. indica, I. lacunosa, I. leptophylla, I. lindheimeri, I. longifolia, I. macrorhiza, I. microdactyla, I. muricata, I. nil, I. pandurata, I. pes-caprae, I. plummerae, I. pubescens, I. purpurea, I. quamoclit, I. rupicola, I. sagittata, I. setosa, I. shumardiana, I. sloteri, I. tenuiloba, I. tenuissima, I. ternifolia, I. thurberi, I. tricolor, I. triloba, I. violacea, I. wrightii, I. ×leucantha
I. alba, I. amnicola, I. aquatica, I. asarifolia, I. barbatisepala, I. batatas, I. cairica, I. capillacea, I. cardiophylla, I. carnea, I. coccinea, I. cordatotriloba, I. costellata, I. cristulata, I. dumetorum, I. hederacea, I. hederifolia, I. imperati, I. indica, I. lacunosa, I. leptophylla, I. lindheimeri, I. longifolia, I. macrorhiza, I. microdactyla, I. muricata, I. nil, I. pandurata, I. pes-caprae, I. plummerae, I. pubescens, I. quamoclit, I. rupicola, I. sagittata, I. setosa, I. shumardiana, I. sloteri, I. tenuiloba, I. tenuissima, I. ternifolia, I. thurberi, I. tricolor, I. triloba, I. violacea, I. wrightii, I. ×leucantha
Synonyms Calonyction aculeatum, Convolvulus aculeatus Convolvulus purpureus, I. purpurea var. diversifolia, Pharbitis purpurea
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 161. (1753) (Linnaeus) Roth: Bot. Abh. Beobacht., 27. (1787)
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