Ipomoea indica (Burm.f.) Merr., Convolvulaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Risk assessment from the Government of Queensland, Australia (PDF format).

Other Latin names:  Convolvulus indicus Burm.; Ipomoea acuminata (Vahl) Roem. & Schult.; Ipomoea cathartica Poir.; Ipomoea learii Paxton

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: bian se qian niu

English: blue dawnflower, morning glory, oceanblue morning-glory

Fijian: wa sasala, wa sasala vuti, wa sovivi, wa voji, wa vuli, wa vuti

Hawaiian: koali ‘awa, koali ‘awahia, koali lā‘au, koali pehu

Palauan: oliemad

Tongan: fue ‘ae puaka

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Vines; stems twining, herbaceous to somewhat woody near base, often more than 5 m long, many-branched, appressed pubescent to glabrate.  Leaf blades membranous, broadly ovate, 5-9 cm long, densely pubescent, especially on lower surface, or glabrate or completely glabrous, 3-lobed or entire, apex acuminate to obtuse, base cordate, petioles about as long as blades.  Flowers 1 to few in cymes, these usually silky white pubescent, pedicels ca. 10 mm long; sepals herbaceous, lanceolate to ovate, 14-23 mm long, appressed pubescent to glabrate, apex long-acuminate to acuminate; corolla blue or purple, rarely white, funnelform, 5-7 cm long, the limb 6-8 cm in diameter.  Capsules brown, often 4-angled, globose or somewhat flattened apically, up to 1 cm in diameter, glabrous.  Seeds (1-) 4, tan to dark brown, rounded, 4-5 mm long, glabrous"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 556-557).

Description from Flora of China online.

Habitat/ecology:  "Forest edges, riparian habitats, woodland, seasonal freshwater wetlands.  In the native range, this herb grows in coastal sites, moist forests and disturbed places.  The trailing stems lead to dense infestation that crowd out native vegetation by smothering shrubs and trees"  (Weber, 2003; p. 217).

In Hawai‘i, "common in low elevation, dry, often disturbed areas, usually below 150 (-1,250) m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 556-557).  In Fiji, "from near sea level to 750 m in forest or on its edges, in thickets, on reeds in open places, and as an occasional weed in plantations and waste places and along roadsides"  (Smith, 1991; pp. 62-63).  In New Zealand, "forest and scrub margins, around gardens and plantations.  Plants of blue morning glory are often very vigorous and may smother trees and shrubs"  (Webb et al., 1988; 558).

Propagation:  Seed and stem fragments.  Stems easily root at nodes.  "Plants in New Zealand and Australia do not form viable seeds.  Cut stems resprout vigorously"  (Weber, 2003; p. 217).

Native range:  Pantropical  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 556-557).  South America, now circumtropical as a cultivated and naturalized plant (Flora of China online).

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) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	probably introduced abo. intro.	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 554)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Agrigan (Agrihan) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Aguijan (Agiguan, Aguihan) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Alamagan Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Alamagan Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. (1975) (p. 37) Voucher cited: Fosberg 31731 (US)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Guguan Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Guguan Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. (1975) (p. 37) Voucher cited: Falanruuw 1848 (US)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Sarigan Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Aitutaki Atoll	introduced invasive	McCormack, Gerald (2011) Naturalised
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced invasive	McCormack, Gerald (2011) Naturalised
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	native	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 80) Vouchers cited: E. Albert 22 (NY, PTBG), E. Albert 186 (NY, PTBG), F. Sohl 18 (NY, PTBG), F. Sohl 24 (NY, PTBG)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Satawal Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Lakemba Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 63) Voucher cited: Garnock-Jones 885
Fiji Fiji Islands	Ovalau Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 63) Voucher cited: Smith 7402
Fiji Fiji Islands	Taveuni Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 63) Vouchers cited: Weiner 71-7-45b, DA 14412
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 63) Vouchers cited: Smith 6596, Smith 358, DA 12067
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Mbalavu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 63) Voucher cited: Garnock-Jones 1120
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 63) Vouchers cited: Greenwood 300, Smith 4275, Smith 8755, Weiner 278, Weiner 153, H.B.R. Parham 379, Smith 7094, DA 11042, H.B.R. Parham 15
French Polynesia Gambier Islands	Akamaru Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011)
French Polynesia Gambier Islands	Akamaru Island	native	St. John, Harold (1988) (p. 22) Voucher cited: St. John 14681 (BISH)
French Polynesia Gambier Islands	Mangareva (Gambier) Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011)
French Polynesia Gambier Islands	Mangareva (Gambier) Island	native	St. John, Harold (1988) (p. 22) Vouchers cited: St. John 14484 (BISH), St. John 14562 (BISH), St. John 11354 (BISH)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011)
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rapa Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011)
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Tubuai Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaho‘olawe Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kure Atoll	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Laysan Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lisianski Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Nihoa Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Ni‘ihau Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	native	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
Niue Niue	Niue Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1988) (p. 14) Voucher cited: Sykes 1093
Palau Palau (main island group)	Angaur Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 224)
Pitcairn Islands Pitcairn Islands	Pitcairn Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) "En masses denses étouffant la végétation herbacée ou en draperies sur les arbres. Très abondante au village, introduite comme ornementale, il y a plus de 50 ans". Voucher cited: J. Florence 10784 (PAP)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Western Samoa Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 93)
Tonga Tonga Islands	Tonga Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 93)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	‘Eua Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 16) Vouchers cited: Parks 16066, Yuncker 15478, Hotta 5189 n.s., Sykes 617, Whistler 5978, Whistler 6473, Whistler 7375
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 16) Vouchers cited: Nelson n.s., Setchell & Parks 15249, Hurlimann 49, Yuncker 15040, Yuncker 15273, Yuncker 16231, Hotta 4085 n.s., Hotta 5102 n.s., Alexander 5803, Lawarence 8, Soakai 619, Buelow 109, Whistler 6729
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Niuatoputapu Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 16) Voucher cited: Kirch 226
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 16) Vouchers cited: Crosby n.s., Buelow 933
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Midway Atoll	Midway Atoll	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 557)
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Midway Atoll	Sand Island	native	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd (2008) (pp. B-9)

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)	New South Wales	introduced invasive cultivated	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) "Widely cultivated; garden escape".
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Queensland Herbarium (2002) (p. 4)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive cultivated	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) "Widely cultivated; garden escape".
China China	China (People's Republic of)	probably introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) Coastal habitats, moist forests, weedy; 0-500 m. Guangdong, Hainan (Nanhai Zhudao)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 558)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	probably introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) Coastal habitats, moist forests, weedy; 0-500 m.
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011) Alabama, Louisana, Mississippi, Texas
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Comments:  While this species is native throughout most of the Pacific region, it is an aggressive vine and should not be introduced to islands where it is not present.

Control: 

Physical:  "Small inrfestations 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. 217).

Additional information:
Fact sheet from Weedbusters New Zealand.
Fact sheet from Campbelltown City Council, Australia.

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

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

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

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Australian Biological Resources Study. 2011. Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

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./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. 1975. Vascular flora of the northern Marianas Islands. Smithsonian Contrib. Bot. 22:1-45.

Fosberg, F. R./Otobed, D./Sachet, M.-H./Oliver, R. L./Powell, D. A./Canfield, J. E. 1980. Vascular plants of Palau with vernacular names. Department of Botany, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 43 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. 2010. Checklist of the vascular plants of Pohnpei with local names and uses. Allertonia, in press. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 146 pp.

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

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

National Herbarium of New South Wales. 2011. PlantNet: New South Wales Flora online. The Plant Information Network System of the Botanic Gardens Trust Version 2.0. Online resource.

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.

St. John, Harold. 1988. Census of the Flora of the Gambier Islands, Polynesia. Pacific Plant Studies 43. Honolulu, Hawaii. 34 pp. [Privately published].

Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd. 2008. Botanical survey of Midway Atoll. Prepared for: United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 27 pp. plus appendices.

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

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

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

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.

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