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cairo morning glory, mile-a-minute vine

whitestar morning-glory

Habit Perennials. Annuals.
Stems

usually twining, sometimes trailing.

usually twining, sometimes trailing.

Leaf

blades orbiculate to ovate, 30–100 × 30–100 mm overall, palmatisect, lobes 5 (proximal 2 sometimes 2-lobed), lance-elliptic, lanceolate, or lance-ovate, (5–)10–25(–70) × (3–)8–15(–30) mm, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces glabrous.

blades orbiculate, ovate, or 3–5-lobed, 20–80 × 20–70 mm, base cordate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely hairy.

Peduncles

glabrous;

pedicels straight, 10–25 mm.

glabrous.

Flowers

sepals oblong to ovate, 4–6.5(–9) mm, outers slightly shorter than inners, chartaceous, margins scarious, apex obtuse to acute;

corolla lavender-blue or white, throat purplish-red, funnelform, 45–60 mm.

sepals lanceolate, (8–)10–14 mm, chartaceous or coriaceous, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous;

corolla lavender or white, throat usually darker, funnelform, 6–15(–20) mm, limb to 10+ mm diam.

Fruits

7–8 mm diam.

2n

= 30.

Ipomoea cairica

Ipomoea ×leucantha

Phenology Flowering Mar–Oct. Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat Abandoned plantings, dis­turbed sites. Disturbed sites.
Elevation -20–200 m. (-100–700 ft.) 0–700 m. (0–2300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CA; FL; LA; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico (Oaxaca), West Indies, South America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; FL; LA; MS; SC; TX; VA; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In the southeastern United States, Ipomoea ×leucantha results from crosses between I. cordatotriloba and I. lacunosa that may be effected by honeybees (Apis mellifera); elsewhere, I. × leucantha is presumably introduced.

(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. alba, I. amnicola, I. aquatica, I. asarifolia, I. barbatisepala, I. batatas, 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. 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
Synonyms Convolvulus cairicus
Name authority (Linnaeus) Sweet: Hort. Brit., 287. (1826) Jacquin: Icon. Pl. Rar. 2: 10, plate 318. (1788) — (as species)
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