7003.000 Ipomoea L.

Gonçalves, M.L. (1987) Convolvulaceae Flora Zambesiaca 8(1)

Description of the genus

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, sometimes shrub-like or woody. Stems usually twining or prostrate, sometimes erect. Pseudostipules sometimes present. Leaves variable. Flowers axillary, solitary or in few-many-flowered cymes, sometimes in pseudoheads or enclosed in an involucre. Peduncles and pedicels usually present. Corolla usually actinomorphic, only slightly lobed. Sepals 5, usually unequal. Stamens 5, usually unequal, inserted near base of corolla tube. Ovary 2-3-4- or rarely 5-locular; style filiform. Stigmas 2, spherical. Capsule spherical to ovoid, dehiscent and 3-10-valved. Seeds usually 4, glabrous, pubescent or long-hairy.

Derivation of name: from Greek: ips meaning worm, homios meaning resembling, referring to the twining habitat

Worldwide: c.650 species in tropical and warm temperate zones

Zambia: 77 taxa.

Insects associated with this genus:
Agrius convolvuli (Convolvulus hawk) Food plant
Cyana pretoriae (Pretoria red-lines) Larval foodplant
Scopula minorata Larval foodplant
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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
albivenia (Lindl.) SweetDescription, Image
aquatica Forssk.B,W,C,SDescription, Image
asarifolia (Desr.) Roem. & Schult.BDescription, Image
bakeri Britten[End]NDescription
barteri Baker var. cordifolia Hallier f.W
barteri Baker var. barteri W,C,E,SDescription, Image
batatas (L.) Lam.Description, Image
blepharophylla Hallier f.B,N,W,C,SDescription, Image
bolusiana SchinzB,N,W,E,SDescription, Image
cairica (L.) Sweet var. cairica N,W,C,SDescription, Image
carnea Jacq. subsp. fistulosa (Mart. ex Choisy) D.F. AustinDescription, Image
chloroneura Hallier f.B,W,SDescription, Image
coptica (L.) Roth ex Roem. & Schult. var. coptica B,N,C,SDescription, Image
coscinosperma Hochst. ex ChoisyC,SDescription, Image
crassipes Hook. var. crassipes N,W,C,SDescription, Image
crepidiformis Hallier f. var. crepidiformis N,W,C,S
crepidiformis Hallier f. var. minor RendleNDescription, Image
crepidiformis Hallier f. var. microcephala (Hallier f.) Verdc.N,W
dichroa Hochst. ex ChoisyB,W,C,SDescription, Image
eriocarpa R. Br.N,W,C,SDescription, Image
fanshawei Verdc.[NrEnd][LR-lc]SDescription
fulvicaulis (Hochst. ex Choisy) Boiss. ex Hallier f. var. fulvicaulis N,WDescription, Image
fulvicaulis (Hochst. ex Choisy) Boiss. ex Hallier f. var. asperifolia (Hallier f.) Verdc.W,SDescription, Image
fulvicaulis (Hochst. ex Choisy) Boiss. ex Hallier f. var. heterocalyx (Schulze-Menz) Verdc.N,W,E,SDescription, Image
hederifolia L.WDescription, Image
heterotricha Didr.N
hochstetteri HouseC,S
humidicola Verdc.C
indica (Burm.) Merr. var. acuminata (Vahl) FosbergCDescription, Image
involucrata P. Beauv. var. burtii Verdc.B,N,W,S
involucrata P. Beauv. var. involucrata N,W,C,SDescription, Image
involucrata P. Beauv. var. operosa (C.H. Wright) Hallier f.N
kassneri RendleN,W
kituiensis Vatke var. kituiensis N,W,S
lapathifolia Hallier f. var. lapathifolia N,C,E,S
leucanthemum (Klotzsch) Hallier f.B,C,SDescription, Image
linosepala Hallier f. subsp. alpina (Rendle) Lejoly & LisowskiN,W,CDescription, Image
linosepala Hallier f. subsp. linosepala N,W
mauritiana Jacq.N,W,E,SDescription, Image
milnei Verdc.[DD]N
nil (L.) RothW,S
obscura (L.) Ker Gawl. var. obscura B,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
obscura (L.) Ker Gawl. var. sagittifolia Verdc.Description
ochracea (Lindl.) Sweet var. ochracea B,N,C,S
oenotherae (Vatke) Hallier f. var. oenotherae W,SDescription, Image
ommaneyi RendleE
papilio Hallier f.C,SDescription, Image
parasitica (Kunth) G. DonSDescription, Image
pes-caprae (L.) R. Br. subsp. brasiliensis (L.) van Ooststr.N,CImage
pes-tigridis L. var. pes-tigridis B,N,W,E,SDescription, Image
pes-tigridis L. var. strigosa (Hallier f.) RendleW,C
pharbitiformis BakerN,W
pileata Roxb.B,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
plebeia R. Br. subsp. africana A. MeeuseB,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
polymorpha Roem. & Schult.N
prismatosyphon Welw. var. prismatosyphon NImage
protea Britten & Rendle[DD]N
purpurea (L.) RothB,N,W,CDescription, Image
recta De Wild.N,W,E
richardsiae Verdc.[End][VU]WDescription
rubens ChoisyB,N,SDescription, Image
shirambensis BakerW,C,E,SDescription, Image
shupangensis BakerWDescription, Image
sinensis (Desr.) Choisy subsp. blepharosepala (Hochst. ex A. Rich.)Verdc.BDescription, Image
sinensis (Desr.) Choisy subsp. sinensis E,SDescription, Image
tenuipes Verdc.C,S
tenuirostris Steud. ex Choisy subsp. tenuirostris NDescription, Image
tricolor Cav.Description
tuberculata Ker Gawl. var. tuberculata SDescription, Image
tuberculata Ker Gawl. var. odontosepala (Baker) Verdc.B
turbinata Lag.N,S
venosa (Desr.) Roem. & Schult. subsp. stellaris (Baker) Verdc. var. stellaris S
venosa (Desr.) Roem. & Schult. subsp. venosa
verbascoidea ChoisyN,C,SDescription, Image
vernalis R.E. Fr.B,N,W,C,S
welwitschii Vatke ex Hallier f.B,N,W,E,SDescription, Image
wightii (Wall.) Choisy var. wightii EDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Ipomoea:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Ipomoea
Flora of Burundi: Ipomoea
Flora of Caprivi: Ipomoea
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Ipomoea
Flora of the DRC: Ipomoea
Flora of Malawi: Ipomoea
Flora of Malawi: cultivated Ipomoea
Flora of Mozambique: Ipomoea
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Ipomoea
Flora of Rwanda: Ipomoea
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Ipomoea
Flora of Zimbabwe: Ipomoea
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Ipomoea

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Ipomoea
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Ipomoea
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Ipomoea
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Ipomoea
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Ipomoea
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Ipomoea
JSTOR Plant Science: Ipomoea
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Ipomoea
Plants of the World Online: Ipomoea
Tropicos: Ipomoea
Wikipedia: Ipomoea

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Nicholas Wightman, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-25

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wightman, N., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2025). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Ipomoea.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1186, retrieved 14 February 2025

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