Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth, Convolvulaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Convolvulus purpureus L.; Ipomoea hirsutula J. Jacq.; Pharbitis purpurea (L.) Voigt

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: yuan ye qian niu

English: common morning-glory, tall morning-glory

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Annual herb.  Stems glabrous or bristly-pubescent, trailing or twining.  Leaf-blade ovate, entire or 3-lobed, 7.5 cm long and wide, acuminate at the apex, cordate at the base, glabrous or pubescent; petiole 7.5-9 cm long.  Flowers solitary or in few-flowered cymes; peduncle up to 12 cm long; pedicels 1.3-2.5 cm long.  Sepals lanceolate, 1.3-1.6 cm long, 1.5-4.5 mm wide, usually not conspicuously attenuated at the apex, bristly below, finely pubescent all over.  Corolla white, pink or magenta; tube white below, 4-5 cm long.  Capsule 1.1 cm in diameter, glabrous, 3-locular"  (Verdcourt, 1963; p. 114).

Habitat/ecology:  "Established on waste and cultivated ground; 900-1750 m" (Verdcourt, 1963; p. 114).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  South America, now widely naturalized in the tropics (Verdcourt, 1963; p. 114).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 93)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced cultivated	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 367) Occasionally cultivated for ornamental purposes, but showing no tendency to become naturalized.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	introduced	Belov, Michail (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) Waysides, hedges, fields; 0-2800 m, cultivated or escaped.
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 187)

Additional information:
Photos and other information from Chileflora.

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

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

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

References:

Belov, Michail. 2011. Chileflora (online resource).

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

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

Verdcourt, B. 1963. Convolvulaceae. In: C. E. Hubbard and R. M. Redhead, eds. Flora of tropical East Africa. Crown Agents, London.

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