Ipomoea lacunosa

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Ipomoea lacunosa
Ipomoea lacunosa1.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Convolvulaceae
Genus: Ipomoea
Species:
I. lacunosa
Binomial name
Ipomoea lacunosa
L.

Ipomoea lacunosa, the whitestar, [1] white morning-glory [2] or pitted morning-glory, [3] [4] is a species that belongs to the genus Ipomoea . In this genus most members are commonly referred to as "morning glories". The name for the genus, Ipomoea, has root in the Greek words ips and homoios, which translates to worm-like. This is a reference to the plant's vine-like growth. Lacunosa comes from a Latin word meaning air spaces, correlating with the venation of the leaves. [3] Ipomoea lacunosa is native to the United States and grows annually. The flowers of this species are usually white and smaller than most other morning glories.

Contents

Distribution

Since Ipomoea lacunosa is native to the United States, the plant can be found in multiple areas throughout the country. Ipomoea lacunosa occurs in almost every state on the east coast, as well as some states in the Midwest, and California. The states that the whitestar potato can be found in are as follows: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Washington D.C., Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Montana, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. This species was also introduced to Canada and lives successfully in the province of Ontario. Although this plant grows rapidly, its tendency to be invasive is rather small in comparison to other members of the genus. [5]

Distribution of I. lacunosa in North America. Ipomoea lacunosa distribution.png
Distribution of I. lacunosa in North America.

Habitat and ecology

Ipomoea lacunosa occurs in a variety of habitat types, including disturbed areas, It grows on prairie, riverbanks, lakeshores, and roadsides, and in cultivated and abandoned fields and meadows. [6]

Insects associated with the plant include bees such as bumblebees, Melitoma taurea , Peponapis pruinosa , and Cemolobus ipomoea . The larvae of the plume moth Emmelina monodactyla feeds on the foliage, and it is host to several tortoise beetles. [6]

Morphology

The stem of I. lacunosa is a slightly hairy (white hairs), twisting, climbing and twining vine with a small taproot. It can reach 2 meters in length. I. lacunose depends on its vining habit for dispersal. The roots are fibrous and have a small taproot. In a mature plant, the leaves take on a cordate shape, with a pointed tip, although sometimes it may have 3 deep lobes. The leaves of a less mature plant are usually ovate. They are arranged alternately on the stem of the plant. The slender petioles are usually at least 3 centimeters long and have a slight adaxial groove. The leaves themselves can be up to 8 cm wide and 9.4 cm long. The margin of the leaf is typically purple and smooth. The upperside of the leaf may have a small amount of white hairs. [3] [7] [8]

Flowers and fruits

The stalks of the plant that bears flowers is rough and usually has 1-3 flowers. The funnel-shaped flowers of the plant are normally white, but on rare occasion the flowers can be light purple or pink. The five petals are joined (sympetalous) or shallowly lobed and are approximately 2.5 cm long. The sepals are light green, lanceolate, take on a leathery texture and can be up to 11.5 mm long. The anthers are a pinkish-purple and the filaments are white. The ovary is superior, cone-like in shape, and green. There is a single white stigma and style. There are five stamen. The flowers have no perceptible or obvious scent. There are large seed capsules in the flower that are spherical in shape and hairy. The seeds themselves are irregularly oblong, shiny, and brown or black. [3] [6] [8]

Fruit is seen in the form of a capsule that is slightly flattened or rounded in shape, and can be up to 10mm wide. [9]

Food usage

Ipomoea lacunosa is one of the species of Ipomoea that is used on a small scale by humans. The whitestar potato that it produces is traditionally consumed by a number of Native American tribes like the Chiricahua Apaches.[ citation needed ]

Other animals usually avoid eating this plant due to the high alkaloid content which makes it unpalatable. In some cases the amount of alkaloid in the plant can make it toxic. However certain caterpillars are capable of digesting the plant.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convolvulaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Convolvulaceae, commonly called the bindweeds or morning glories, is a family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species. These species are primarily herbaceous vines, but also include trees, shrubs and herbs. The tubers of several species are edible, the best known of which is the sweet potato.

<i>Ipomoea corymbosa</i> Species of plant

Ipomoea corymbosa is a species of morning glory, native throughout Latin America from Mexico as far south as Peru and widely naturalised elsewhere. Its common names include Christmasvine, Christmaspops, and snakeplant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morning glory</span> Common name for more than 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae

Morning glory is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics are in flux. Morning glory species belong to many genera, some of which are:

<i>Ipomoea</i> Genus of flowering plants

Ipomoea is the largest genus in the plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 600 species. It is a large and diverse group, with common names including morning glory, water convolvulus or water spinach, sweet potato, bindweed, moonflower, etc. The genus occurs throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and comprises annual and perennial herbaceous plants, lianas, shrubs, and small trees; most of the species are twining climbing plants.

<i>Ipomoea alba</i> Species of plant

Ipomoea alba, sometimes called the tropical white morning-glory or moonflower or moon vine, is a species of night-blooming morning glory, native to tropical and subtropical regions of North and South America, from Argentina to northern Mexico, Arizona, Florida and the West Indies. Though formerly classified as genus Calonyction, species aculeatum, it is now properly assigned to genus Ipomoea, subgenus Quamoclit, section Calonyction.

<i>Calystegia sepium</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae

Calystegia sepium is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae. It has a subcosmopolitan distribution throughout temperate regions of the North and South hemispheres.

<i>Ipomoea purpurea</i> Species of plant

Ipomoea purpurea, the common morning-glory, tall morning-glory, or purple morning glory, is a species in the genus Ipomoea, native to Mexico and Central America.

<i>Solanum umbelliferum</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum umbelliferum is a species of nightshade known commonly as bluewitch nightshade, or bluewitch. It can be found in chaparral habitat and low-elevation oak woodlands in California and parts of Baja California and Arizona. It is a small perennial herb or subshrub with dark gray-green oval-shaped leaves on hairy green stems that grow to a maximum height of one meter. It has bright purple or blue frilly flowers with thick yellow anthers at the center. The flowers close into spherical buds overnight. It bears small round green fruits which turn purple when ripe and resemble tiny eggplants.

<i>Ipomoea pes-caprae</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea pes-caprae, also known as bayhops, bay-hops, beach morning glory, railroad vine or goat's foot, is a common pantropical creeping vine belonging to the family Convolvulaceae. It grows on the upper parts of beaches and endures salted air. It is one of the most common and most widely distributed salt tolerant plants and provides one of the best known examples of oceanic dispersal. Its seeds float and are unaffected by salt water.

<i>Ipomoea cairica</i> Species of vine

Ipomoea cairica is a vining, herbaceous, perennial plant with palmate leaves and large, showy white to lavender flowers. A species of morning glory, it has many common names, including mile-a-minute vine, Messina creeper, Cairo morning glory, coast morning glory and railroad creeper. The species name cairica translates to "from Cairo", the city where this species was first collected.

<i>Ipomoea indica</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea indica is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, known by several common names, including blue morning glory, oceanblue morning glory, koali awa, and blue dawn flower. It bears heart-shaped or 3-lobed leaves and purple or blue funnel-shaped flowers 6–8 cm (2–3 in) in diameter, from spring to autumn. The flowers produced by the plant are hermaphroditic. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

<i>Ipomoea pandurata</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea pandurata, known as man of the earth, wild potato vine, manroot, wild sweet potato, and wild rhubarb, is a species of herbaceous perennial vine native to North America. It is a twining plant of woodland verges and rough places with heart-shaped leaves and funnel-shaped white flowers with a pinkish throat. The large tuberous roots can be roasted and eaten, or can be used to make a poultice or infusion. When uncooked, the roots have purgative properties.

<i>Ipomoea hederacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea hederacea, the ivy-leaved morning glory also called Kaladana, is a flowering plant in the bindweed family. The species is native to tropical parts of the Americas, and has more recently been introduced to North America. It now occurs there from Arizona to Florida and north to Ontario and North Dakota. Like most members of the family, it is a climbing vine with alternate leaves on twining stems. The flowers are blue to rose-purple with a white inner throat and emerge in summer and continue until late fall. The leaves are typically three-lobed, but sometimes may be five-lobed or entire. Flowers occur in clusters of one to three and are 2.5-4.5 cm long and wide. The sepals taper to long, recurved tips and measure 12–24 mm long. The species shares some features with the close relative Ipomoea purpurea.

<i>Ipomoea nil</i> Species of vine

Ipomoea nil is a species of Ipomoea morning glory known by several common names, including picotee morning glory, ivy morning glory, and Japanese morning glory. It is native to the tropical Americas, and has been introduced widely across the world.

<i>Ipomoea heptaphylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea heptaphylla, sometimes known as Wright's morning glory in the United States, is a species of morning glory. It is incorrectly classified as I. wrightii in American publications, but is incorrectly known as I. tenuipes in Africa and India. It is an annual or short-lived perennial vine which climbs using twining stems, and has pink or purple flowers. The leaf shape is somewhat variable, with individuals possessing compound leaves palmately divided into five leaflets, and lanceolate-leaved individuals occurring in neighbouring populations. The name heptaphylla actually means 'seven-leaved'. This plant has a very extensive distribution, from Texas and adjacent states in the southeastern USA to Misiones in northern Argentina, the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean, India, Sri Lanka and East and Southern Africa. Despite its wide distribution it is uncommon throughout its range. The rediscovery of the presence of the species in India after an absence of over half a century was published in 2014. The species appears to favour dry subtropical to tropical habitats.

<i>Ipomoea carnea</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea carnea, the pink morning glory, is a species of morning glory that grows as a bush. This flowering plant has heart-shaped leaves that are a rich green and 6–9 inches (15–23 cm) long. It can be easily grown from seeds. These seeds are toxic and it can be hazardous to cattle; the toxicity is related to the swainsonine produced by its endophytes, and to bioaccumulation of selenium in the leaves but mostly in the seeds.

<i>Ipomoea leptophylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea leptophylla, the bush morning glory, bush moonflower or manroot, is a species of flowering plant in the bindweed family, Convolvulaceae.

<i>Ipomoea coccinea</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea coccinea is a flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae known by several common names including red morning glory, redstar and (ambiguously) Mexican morning glory.

<i>Agastache foeniculum</i> Species of flowering plant

Agastache foeniculum, commonly called anise hyssop, blue giant hyssop, Fragrant giant hyssop, or the lavender giant hyssop, is a species of perennial plant in the mint family, (Lamiaceae). This plant is native to much of north-central and northern North America, notably the Great Plains and other prairies. It is tolerant of deer and drought, and also attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, bumblebees, honey bees, carpenter bees, and night flying moths.

<i>Ipomoea pes-tigridis</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea pes-tigridis is a species of Ipomoea and family Convolvulaceae. It is known as tiger's footprint. The species is distributed in Asia, Africa, Australia and other islands in the Pacific. It grows in roadsides and sea coasts which sea level is between 0 and 400 m.

References

  1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Ipomoea lacunosa". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  2. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Pitted Morning-glory, Ipomoea lacunosa". Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. University of Florida. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  4. "Ipomoea lacunosa". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  5. "Ipomoea lacunosa L. whitestar". Natural Resources Convervation Service. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 Hilty, J. "Small White Morning Glory: Ipomoea lacunosa" . Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  7. Tenaglia, Dan. "Ipomoea lacunosa L." Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Pitted Morningglory: Ipomoea lacunosa". Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  9. McGregor, Ronald L. et al. "Flora of the Great Plains." Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1986. Book. pg. 659