Horticulture/Ipomoea

The genus Ipomoea, with over 500 species, is the largest genus in the family ../Convolvulaceae/. The genus occurs throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and comprises annual and perennial herbaceous plants, viness, shrubs and small trees; most of the species are twining climbing plants. Many species are known as morning glory, a name shared with some other related genera.

The genus includes important food crops (sweet potato and water spinach) and ../Ipomoea violacea/, source of the Mexican psychedelic drug, tlitliltzin. Species and cultivars of Ipomoea grown as morning glory are popular in gardens for their often stunning flowers.

Description
Flowers are regular and bisexual, with 5 sepals and a funnelform corolla with 5 lobes and stripes. The 5 stamens sit low in the tube, 1 style. The flower buds are "pleated", and open by untwisting. The fruit is a dry 4-6 valved capsule, containing as many seeds. Foliage is alternate, simple or compound. Most if not all temperate species are twining vines, with the stems containing a milky juice.

Growing Conditions
Most species require full sun.

Selected Species

 * ../Ipomoea alba/ L. – Moonflower
 * ../Ipomoea amnicola/ Morong – Redcenter Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea aquatica/ – Water spinach
 * ../Ipomoea batatas/ (L.) Lam. – Sweet potato
 * ../Ipomoea cairica/ Sweet. - Mile-a-minute vine
 * ../Ipomoea cordifolia/ Carey ex Voight – Heartleaf Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea costata/ Australian Bush Potato
 * ../Ipomoea costellata/ Torr. – Crestrib Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea cristulata/ Hallier f. – Transpecos Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea dumetorum/ Willd. ex Roemer & J.A.Schultes – Railwaycreeper
 * ../Ipomoea eggersiana/ Peter
 * ../Ipomoea eggersii/ (House) D.Austin – Egger's Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea hederacea/ Jacq. – Ivyleaf Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea hederifolia/ L. – Scarlet Creeper
 * ../Ipomoea horsfalliae/ Hook.f. – Lady Doorly's Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea imperati/ (Vahl) Griseb. – Beach Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea indica/ (Burm.f.) Merr. – Oceanblue Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea jalapa/ (L.) Pursh. – Jalap
 * ../Ipomoea krugii/ Urban – Krug's White Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea lacunosa/ L. – Whitestar
 * ../Ipomoea leptophylla/ Torr. – Bush Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea lindheimeri/ Gray – Lindheimer's Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea littoralis/ Blume – Whiteflower beach Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea lobata/ (Cerv.) Thell.
 * ../Ipomoea longifolia/ Benth. – Pinkthroat Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea macrorhiza/ Michx. – Largeroot Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea mauritiana/ Jacq. – Giant Potato
 * ../Ipomoea meyeri/ (Spreng.) G.Don – Meyer's Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea microdactyla/ Griseb. – Calcareous Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea nil/ (L.) Roth – White-edge Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea obscura/ (L.) Ker Gawl. – Obscure Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea ochracea/ (Lindl.) G.Don – Fence Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea pandurata/ (L.) G.F.W.Mey. – Wild Potato Vine or Manroot
 * ../Ipomoea pes-caprae/ (L.) R.Br. – Beach Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea plummerae/ Gray – Huachuca Mountain Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea pubescens/ Lam. – Silky Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea purga/ (Wender.) Hayne – Jalap
 * ../Ipomoea purpurea/ (L.) Roth – Common Morning Glory or Tall Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea quamoclit/ L. – Cypressvine or Hummingbird Vine
 * ../Ipomoea repanda/ Jacq. – Bejuco Colorado
 * ../Ipomoea rupicola/ House – Cliff Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea sagittata/ Poir. – Saltmarsh Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea setifera/ Poir. – Bejuco de Puerco
 * ../Ipomoea setosa/ Ker Gawl. – Brazilian Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea shumardiana/ (Torr.) Shinners – Narrowleaf Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea sloteri/ – Cardinal Climber
 * ../Ipomoea steudelii/ Millsp. – Steudel's Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea tenuiloba/ Torr. – Spiderleaf
 * ../Ipomoea tenuissima/ Choisy – Rockland Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea ternifolia/ – Tripleleaf Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea thurberi/ – Thurber's Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea tricolor/ – Tlitliltzin, Ololiuqui or Mexican Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea triloba/ – Littlebell
 * ../Ipomoea tuboides/ – Hawaii Morning Glory
 * ../Ipomoea turbinata/ – Lilacbell
 * ../Ipomoea violacea/
 * ../Ipomoea versicolor/
 * ../Ipomoea wrightii/ – Wright's Morning Glory

Propagation
Seeds must be soaked before planting.

Pests and Diseases
../Leaf Spots/ ../Blight/ ../Wilts/
 * Alternaria
 * Cercospora abamensis
 * Cercospora ipomoeae
 * Cercospora viridula
 * Southern Blight

../Stem Rots/

../Charcoal Rots/

../Cankers/ ../Rusts/ ../White Rusts/ ../Root Knot/
 * Vermicularia ipomoearum
 * Albugo ipomoeae-panduratae
 * Coleosporium ipomoeae (Alternate hosts in Pinus)
 * Puccinia crassipes
 * Root Knot Nematodes: ../Meliodgyne/ spp.

../Aphids/ ../Scales/ ../Hoppers/ ../Whiteflies/ ../Bugs/ ../Beetles/ ../Weevils/ ../Caterpillars/
 * Cotton Aphid: ../Aphis Gossypii/
 * Lesser Snow Scale: ../Pinnaspis strachani/
 * Potato Leafhopper: ../Empoasca fabae/
 * Western Potato Leafhopper: ../Empoasca abrupta/
 * Silverleaf Whitefly: ../Bemisia argentifolii/
 * Sweet Potato Whitefly: ../Bemisia tabaci/
 * Greenhouse Whitefly: ../Trialeurodes vaporariorum/
 * Garden Flea Hopper: ../Halticus bractatus/
 * Four Lined Plant Bug: ../Poecilocapsus lineatus/
 * Gulf Wireworm (Click Beetle): ../Conoderus amplicollis/
 * Southern Potato Wireworm (Click Beetle): ../Conoderus falli/
 * Eastern Field Wireworm (Click Beetle): ../Limontius agonsus/
 * Columbia Basin Wireworm (Click Beetle): ../Limontius subauretus/
 * Argus Tortoise Beetle: ../Chelymorpha cassidea/
 * Asiatic Garden Beetle: ../Maladerma castanea/
 * Banded Cucumber Beetle: ../Diabrotica balteata/
 * Blister Beetles: ../Epicauta/ spp.:
 * Blacklegged Tortoise Beetle: ../Jonthonota nigripes/
 * Golden Tortoise Beetle: ../Chadidotella bicolor/
 * Mottled Tortoise Beetle: ../Deloyala guttata/
 * Palestriped Flea Beetle: ../Systena blanda/
 * Spotted Cucumber Beetle: ../Diabrotica undecimipunctata/
 * Striped Tortoise Beetle: ../Agrioconota bivittata/
 * Sweet Potato Flea Beetle: ../Chaetocnema confinis/
 * Sweet Potato Leaf Beetle: ../Typophorus nigritus/
 * Whitefringed Beetles: ../Naupactus/ spp.:
 * Sweet Potato Weevil ../Cyclas formicarius/
 * Morning Glory Leaf Miner: ../Bedellia somnulentella/
 * Yellow Woolybear Caterpillar: ../Diacrisia virginica/
 * Corn Earworm: ../Heliothis zea/
 * Morning Glory Leafcutter: ../Loxostege obliteralis/
 * Beet Armyworm: ../Spodoptera exigua/
 * Black Cutworm: ../Agrostis ipsilon/
 * Granulate Cutworm: ../Agrostis subterranea/
 * Southern Armyworm: ../Spodoptera eridania/
 * Sweet Potato Hornworm (Pinkspotted Hawk Moth): ../Agrius cingulata/
 * Yellowstriped Armyworm: ../Spodoptera ornithogalli/

Ipomoea species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species - see list of Lepidoptera which feed on Ipomoea.