Ipomoea cairica (L.) Sweet, Convolvulaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Ipomoea tuberculata Roemer & Schultes

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: wu zhao jin long

English: Cairo morning glory, coastal morning glory, five-fingered morning glory, ivy-leaved morning glory, morning glory, railroad creeper

Fijian: wasovivi

French: ipomée du Caire, liane de sept ans

Hawaiian: koali, koali ‘ai, koali ‘ai‘ai, koali lau manamana, kowali, pa‘ali‘i

Niuean: sefifi sea

Other: murio, sosomia

Tongan: maile miniti

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Vines; stems twining or sometimes prostrate, herbaceous but woody toward base, up to 4 m or more long, smooth or muricate, glabrous or rarely villous at nodes.  Leaf blades chartaceous, ovate to orbicular in outline, 3-10 cm long and wide, palmately divided, usually to base into 5-7 lobes, the lobes lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, 3-5 cm long, apex acute or obtuse and mucronulate, outer lobes sometimes bifid, glabrous, petioles up to ca. 2/3 as long as blades, pseudostipules present.  Flowers 1 to numerous in lax dichasia, peduncles 5-80 mm long, pedicels 12-30 mm long; sepals ovate, 4-6.5 mm long, outer ones slightly shorter, glabrous, more or less verrucose, margins scarious, apex obtuse to acute, mucronulate; corolla purple, bluish purple, or white with a purple center, funnelform, (3-) 4.5-6 cm long. Capsules brown, subglobose, 1-1.2 cm long, glabrous.  Seeds black to tan, subglobose to ovoid, 4-6 mm long, densely short-tomentose, sometimes with long silky hairs along the margins"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 555-556).

Habitat/ecology:  "Coastal dunes and bluffs, forest edges, riparian habitats.  The fast growing plant is invasive because its trailing and climbing stems can completely smother native shrubs and trees, impeding their growth and preventing their regeneration"  (Weber, 2003; p. 216).

In Hawai‘i, "apparently a naturalized species in primarily open, dry, usually rocky, often disturbed areas, from near sea level up to 670 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 555-556).  In Fiji, "introduced as a cultivated plant but now an often locally abundant weed near sea level in open places, along roadsides, on open slopes, in gardens, etc." (Smith, 1991; pp. 57-68). In New Caledonia, "largement dispersé et parfois abondant en fourrés secondaires et lisières de forêt" (MacKee, 1994; p. 41). "Common in disturbed vegetation and along roadsides" (Whistler, 1988; p. 13).

Propagation:  "Seeds are dispersed by wind or water.  Stems easily root at nodes"  (Weber, 2003; p. 216).

Native range:  Tropical Africa and Asia. In Hawai‘i, an early introduction or possibly indigenous (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 555-556).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 19) "Almost cosmopolitan through cultivation as an ornamental, and is now frequently weedy". Vouchers cited: M.M.J. van Balgooy 1055 (CANB), P.S. Green 1961 (K), A.N. Rodd 1809 (NSW)
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 8) "Almost cosmopolitan through cultivation as an ornamental, and is now frequently weedy". Vouchers cited: R.M. Laing (CHR), G. Uhe 1119 (K), J.D. McComish 94 (K, NSW)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced invasive	Josekutty, P. C./Wakuk, E. E./Joseph, M. J. (2002) (p. 62)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 67-68) Vouchers cited: Greenwood 419A, DA 10496
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (pp. 67-68) Vouchers cited: Greenwood 419, DA 11336, DA 5746, DA 2763, DA 11078, Krauss 1411, DA 12305
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1989) (voucher ID: PTBG 30962) Taxon name on voucher: Ipomoea cairica
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 31)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Adventice
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rapa Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Adventice
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rapa Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2002) (voucher ID: PTBG 42131) Taxon name on voucher: Ipomoea cairica
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 555-556)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaho‘olawe Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 555-556)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 555-556)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 555-556)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, R. T. (2000) (p. 4) West Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer & Bartlett H89939 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2006) (p. 34) East Maui. Voucher cited: Starr, Starr & Bryce 040327-1 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 555-556)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Ni‘ihau Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 555-556)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 555-556)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Lifou	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 41) Voucher cited: Däniker 2387
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Îles Ouvéa (Ouvea Atoll)	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 41) Voucher cited: Däniker 2084
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 100) "Forest edges, sceondary scrub".
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	introduced invasive	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 380) Largement dispersée et parfois abondante en fourrés secondaires et lisières de forêt.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Balabio	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 41) Voucher cited: MacKee 29341
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 41) Vouchers cited: Védel s.n., Vieillard 1008 s.loc., MacGillivray 13, Balansa 552, Franc 1919, Guillaumin 8570, MacKee 11909, MacKee 12012, MacKee 19527
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île des Pins (Isle of Pines)	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 41) Vouchers cited: Pancher 537, MacKee 23536
New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea) New Guinea Island	New Guinea Island		Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) var. cairica
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Macauley Island	native	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 559) "Coastal areas".
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	native	Sykes, W. R. (1977) (p. 99) Perhaps naturally introduced from New Zealand by birds.
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	native	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 559) "Coastal areas".
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced	Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 72) Presence not confirmed. Voucher cited: CHR 169795
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 13)
Papua New Guinea Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago	introduced invasive cultivated	Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty] (1984) (p. 467) Cultivated and wild.
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 364) Widely distributed in cultivation, occurring also in waste places and thickets near dwellings.
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced invasive	Orapa, Warea (2005) On most islands.
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Lifuka and Foa Islands		Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 13)
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Lifuka and Foa Islands	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (pp. 72, field notes.)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (pp. 53, field notes.)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island		Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 16) Vouchers cited: Lawrence 47, Lawrence 50, Soakai 404
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 225) Voucher cited: Yuncker 15201 Occasional escape.
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (pp. 66, field notes.) Voucher: Flynn 6847 (PTBG)
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 225) Voucher cited: Yuncker 16054 Occasional escape.
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2001) (voucher ID: PTBG 262) Taxon name on voucher: Ipomoea cairica

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Queensland Herbarium (2002) (p. 4)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) var. cairica. Thickets, roadsides, waste places, cultivated areas, sunny meadows in lowlands; 100-600 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan.
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 222)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 193)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 187)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands		Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) var. cairica
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)		Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) var. cairica
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	native	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 559) "Coastal areas".
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 51) Naturalised
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) var. cairica. Thickets, roadsides, waste places, cultivated areas, sunny meadows in lowlands; 100-600 m.
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 193)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)		Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) var. cairica
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)		Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) var. cairica

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced invasive	Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (p. 116)
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced	Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France (2010) Naturalisée, potentiellement envahissant.

Comments:  Moderately invasive in New Caledonia (Swarbrick, 1997).

Control: 

Physical:  "Small infestations can be removed manually, but all roots and all stems touching the ground must be removed".

Chemical:  "Chemical control is done by cutting vines at breast height, laying the lower portions on the ground and spraying them with herbicide"  (Weber, 2003; p. 216).

Additional information:
Fact sheet from the Government of Queensland, Australia. (PDF format).

Additional online information about Ipomoea cairica is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Ipomoea cairica as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Ipomoea cairica may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France. 2010. Les espéces envahissantes en outre-mer (online resource).

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe. 1996. Conséquences des introductions d'espèces animales et végétales sur la biodiversité en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Rev. Ecol. (Terre Vie) 51:375-401.

Haselwood, E. L./Motter, G. G. 1983. Handbook of Hawaiian Weeds. Second edition, revised and expanded by Robert T. Hirano. University of Hawaii Press. 491 pp.

Heine, Heino. 1984. 13. Convolvulacées. In: Morat, Ph.. et H. S. MacKee. Flore de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et Dépendances. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Josekutty, P. C./Wakuk, E. E./Joseph, M. J. 2002. Invasive/weedy angiosperms in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia. In: Invasive species and their management. Micronesica Suppl. 6:61-65.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 3 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 628 pp.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2000. Preliminary review of the invasive plants in the Pacific islands (SPREP Member Countries). In: Sherley, G. (tech. ed.). Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Samoa. 190 pp.

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 2001. Voucher specimen #PTBG262(Tim Flynn 6847).

Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, R. T. 2000. New plant records from Maui, O‘ahu, and the Hawai‘i Islands. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1999. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 64:1-10.

Orapa, Warea. 2005. Warea Orapa, Weed Mangement Officer, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, pers. com. (Trip Report, Solomon Islands, 19 April to 10 May, 2005).

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1994. Flora of Australia. Vol. 49, Oceanic islands 1. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty]. 1984. Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago for naturalists. Office of Forests, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. 638 pp. ISBN 9980-66-000-7.

Queensland Herbarium. 2002. Invasive Naturalised Plants in Southeast Queensland, alphabetical by genus. Modified from: Batianoff, George N. and Butler, Don W. (2002). Assessment of Invasive naturalized plants in south-east Queensland. Appendix. Plant Protection Quarterly 17, 27-34. 11 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1991. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 5. 626 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2001. Report to the Kingdom of Tonga on invasive plant species of environmental concern.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 78 pp.

Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. 2006. New plant records from the Hawaiian Archipelago. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2004-2005. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 87:31-43.

Swarbrick, J. T. 1997. Environmental weeds and exotic plants on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: a report to Parks Australia. 101 pp. plus appendix.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

Sykes, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 200, Wellington. 321 pp.

Sykes, W. R. 1977. Kermadec Islands flora: an annotated checklist. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 219, Wellington. 216 pp.

Tassin, Jacques. 2005. Jacques Tassin (IAC-CIRAD), personal communication.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1988. Checklist of the weed flora of western Polynesia. Technical Paper No. 194, South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 69 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1992. Flora of Tonga [unpublished checklist]. 107 pp.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Yuncker, T. G. 1959. Plants of Tonga. Bishop Museum Bull. 220. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 343 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).