Merremia quinquefolia (L.) Hall. f., Convolvulaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Reject, score: 8 (Go to the risk assessment).

Other Latin names:  Convolvulus quinquefolia L.; Ipomoea quinquefolia L.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: five-fingered morningglory, rock rosemary

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Usually a small herbaceous vine, sometimes prostrate, the stems glabrous or sparsely hirsute; leaves long-petiolate, the 5 leaflets subsessile, elliptic or lanceolate, glabrous, acute or acuminate, sinuate-dentate, 2-7 cm. long; inflorescence a simple 3-flowered, or rarely compound, dichasium or reduced to a single flower, axillary and usually longer than the leaf, the peduncles glandular-pilose, the pedicels 1-1.5 cm. long; sepals unequal, oblong, obtuse, glabrous, the outer ones 3-5 mm. long, the inner ones 4-7 mm. long; corolla white, 1.5-2.5 cm. long; capsule glabrous, 7-8 mm. broad, subglobose, 4-celled; seeds 4, pubescent"  (Standley & Williams, 1970; p. 74).

"Herbaceous prostrate or climbing vine; leaves, palmately compound with 5 leaflets, leaflets oblong to lanceolate, 2.5 to 6 cm long; petioles, 2 to 5 (rarely up to 9) cm long; flowers, borne in axillary, solitary or several-flowered cymes, the peduncles glandular in the upper part and sometimes mixed with spreading bristly hairs; sepals, 4 to 8 mm long, narrowly ovate to oblong, obtuse, subequal or the outer ones shorter; corolla, 1.8 to 2.5 cm long, pale yellow or whitish; fruit, about 9 mm long, capsular, globose, stramineous, 4-valved; seeds, about 4.5 mm long, shortly curled-pilose, blackish" (Thaman et al., 1994; p. 119).

Habitat/ecology:  "Annual herbaceous weed common in cultivated fields, perennial crops, pastures, roadsides and ditchbanks"  (Cardenas et al., 1972; p. 147).

Propagation:  Seed (Cardenas et al., 1972; p. 147).

Native range:  West Indies (Thaman et al., 1994; p. 119). West Indies, Mexico, Central America, northern and western South America (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Voucher cited: J. Florence 11474 (PAP) Adventice. Sur sol nu et dans le tapis herbacé, localement aggressive.
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced invasive	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 119) Rare. Voucher cited: Fosberg 58765 (US)
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2000) (voucher ID: PTBG 42870) Taxon name on voucher: Merremia quinquefolia

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 invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	Standley, Paul C./Williams, Louis O. (1970) (p. 74)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. 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)	USA (Florida)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Merremia quinquefolia is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

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

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

References:

Cardenas, Juan/Reys, Carlos E./Doll, Jerry D./Pardo, Fernando. 1972. Tropical weeds; malezas tropicales, vol. 1. International Plant Protection Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis. 341 pp.

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).

Standley, Paul C./Williams, Louis O. 1970. Flora of Guatemala. Fieldiana: Botany. Vol. 24, Part IX, Nos. 1-2. Chicago Natural History Museum. 226 pp.

Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. 1994. The flora of Nauru. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Atoll Research Bulletin 392:1-223.

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.