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purple morning-glory

cotton morningglory, tie-vine

Habit Perennials. Perennials.
Stems

usually ascending to erect, sometimes trailing.

twining.

Leaf

blades palmatisect, lobes 5–9, filiform to linear, (3–)5–15(–25) × 0.2–1 mm.

blades cordate-ovate, lance-ovate, ovate, or 3–5(–7)-lobed, 10–90 × 10–90 mm, base cordate, lobes usually rounded, sometimes pointed, surfaces usually hirsute, pilose, or tomentose, rarely glabrous.

Peduncles

glabrous.

glabrous or hairy, hairs appressed.

Flowers

sepals elliptic, oblong, or ovate, 5–6 × 2–3 mm, chartaceous or coriaceous, abaxial surface muricate or smooth;

corolla lavender to red-purple, funnelform, 30–40 mm, limb 20–25 mm diam.

sepals lanceolate to ovate, 8–14 mm, chartaceous or coriaceous, outers lance-ovate to lanceolate, narrowed distal portion curved, glabrous or hairy, inners ovate, margins ciliate or not, abaxial surface glabrous or hairy;

corolla lavender, tube darker, funnelform, 20–38 mm.

Ipomoea capillacea

Ipomoea cordatotriloba

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Oak woodlands, plains, pon­derosa pine zones.
Elevation 1500–2500 m. (4900–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
United States; Mexico; South America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The report of Ipomoea capillacea from Alabama (J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham 1999) was probably based on a specimen of I. muricata.

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

Varieties 3 (2 in the flora).

Variety australis (O’Donnell) D. F. Austin is known from Argentina.

Varieties cordatotriloba and torreyana appear to differ by minor, trivial traits; nevertheless, they have distinctive aspects and, historically, distinct ranges and habitats. Both have been dispersed by humans and may appear sporadically in places outside their historical ranges.

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

Key
1. Leaf blade surfaces usually hirsute, pilose, or tomentose, rarely glabrous; sepals hispid-pilose and/or ciliate.
var. cordatotriloba
1. Leaf blade surfaces glabrous; sepals glabrous.
var. torreyana
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. cairica, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
I. cordatotriloba var. cordatotriloba, I. cordatotriloba var. torreyana
Synonyms Convolvulus capillaceus, 3(qto.): 97.
Name authority (Kunth) G. Don: Gen. Hist. 4: 267. (1837) Dennstedt: Nomencl. Bot. 1: 246. (1810)
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