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Key to Ipomoea

Convolvulaceae

Ipomoea

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1 Shrubs to 2 m tall, erect; stems hollow
1 Herbaceous vine (trailing or twining) or herbs (erect); stems solid or hollow.
  2 Corolla campanulate, the tube < 2× as long as its diameter; fruit indehiscent; [Old World Clade].
    3 Young stems glabrous; leaf undersurfaces glabrous; corolla lavender (purple, rose, or white), darker in the tube, 6-7 cm long
    3 Young stems densely white-hairy; leaf undersurfaces white-hairy; corolla cream-white, with pale yellow pleats and with maroon markings in the tube, 2.5-3 cm long
  2 Corolla salverform or funnelform, the tube > 4× as long as its diameter; fruit a dehiscent capsule.
      4 Corolla salverform, the long narrow tube cylindrical (with sides more-or-less parallel) for most of its length, the limb abruptly flaring at the summit of the tube.
        5 Corolla 3-15 cm long, predominantly lavender to white; flowers open from evening until early morning.
          6 Leaves tomentose beneath; corolla mostly white on the outer surface, lavender to purple on the inner surface, thus bicolored in-and-out; [of outer Coastal Plain dune, hammocks, and shell midden from se. NC southward]
          6 Leaves glabrous (or with scattered hair or large fleshy hairlike structures) beneath; corolla either white on both surfaces or lavender on both surfaces, not bicolored in-and-out; [weedy, widespread, of disturbed habitats].
             7 Sepal obtuse, 10-25 mm long.
               8 Corolla lavender, the throat darker; stems bearing dark, fleshy, hairlike structures; [non-native, rare introduction]
               8 Corolla white, with 5 yellowish lines; stems glabrous; [native, s. and c. peninsular FL]
             7 Sepal acute to caudate, 6-14 mm long.
                 9 Corolla 10-14 cm long, white with 5 greenish or yellowish lines; fruits 2-3 cm long, borne on dry pedicel
                 9 Corolla 3-7.5 cm long, whitish to violet or lavender; fruits 1.8-2 cm long, the pedicel fleshy
        5 Corolla 1.4-5 cm long, red, orange, or yellow; flowers open from early morning to late morning or late afternoon.
                   10 Corolla tube 3-4 mm in diameter; plants perennial from tuber; [s. FL]
                   10 Corolla tube 1-3 mm in diameter; plants annual from fibrous roots; collectively widespread in our region]; [Quamoclit Clade].
                     11 Leaf blade pinnately divided into 11-31 (or more) linear or lanceolate segment (with parallel sides or narrowing towards the base)
                       12 Leaf blade segment 11-19, lanceolate, 3-7 mm wide, parallel-sided near the base or narrowing towards the base, the apical portion of the segment narrowly triangular
                       12 Leaf blade segment 11-31 (or more), linear, < 2 mm wide, parallel-sided
                     11 Leaf blade entire, or angled, or shallowly to deeply palmately 3-7-lobed (and then the lobe broadening towards their base).
                          13 Leaf blade deeply 3-7-lobed
                          13 Leaf blade unlobed (not counting the cordate base), or with leaves shallowly 3-lobed.
                            14 Inner sepal 4-6 mm long; pedicel becoming reflexed in fruit; leaves usually unlobed (though sometimes with a few coarse dentate teeth)
                            14 Inner sepal 2-3 (-4) mm long; pedicel remaining erect in fruit; leaves usually 3-lobed about halfway from margin to base
      4 Corolla funnelform, the short to long tube expanding in diameter upwards from below the middle, the limb gradually to abruptly flaring at the summit of the tube.
                              15 Pedicel and peduncle with spreading, ascending, or reflexed trichome; gynoecium 3-parted; sepal 8-25 (-30) mm long; corolla deep purple to rich blue or light blue (rarely white or bright pink), the tube and throat lighter in color (white or yellow); [Pharbitis clade].
                                16 Sepal soft-pilose on the outer surface with slender trichome
                                16 Sepal hispid-pilose on the outer surface, with swollen-based trichome.
                                  17 Corolla pink to purple (rarely white or blue); sepal oblong-lanceolate, merely obtuse or acute and without a prominently narrowed (caudate) tip; leaves entire or 3-5-lobed
                                  17 Corolla blue with a white tube (drying pink); sepal ovate with an elongate or caudate apex longer than the sepal body, notably accrescent in fruit; leaves usually 3-lobed.
                                    18 Sepal < 2 cm long at anthesis, abruptly narrowed upwards, the long subacute tips strongly spreading or recurved outwards; corolla < 3.5 cm long; peduncle very short.
                                    18 Sepal ca. 3 cm long at anthesis, gradually narrowed upwards, the long acute tips suberect, straight, scarcely spreading; corolla 4-4.5 cm long; peduncle long or short
                              15 Pedicel and peduncle glabrous or with short, appressed trichome; gynoecium 2-parted; sepal 4-15 mm long; corolla mainly pink, lavender, or white, the tube and throat mainly deeper pink, purple, or maroon (but some species – I. tricolor, I. aristolochiifolia -- blue with white or yellow throats).
                                       19 Leaves palmately, pinnately, or pedately compound or pseudocompound (so deeply parted as to appear superficially compound).
                                         20 Leaves pedately compound, the leaflet or segment 1.5-3 mm wide; corolla 1-1.2 cm long, white; [TX]
                                         20 Leaves palmately or pedately compound, the leaflet or segment 3-10 mm wide; corolla 1.8-6 cm long, lavender, pink, or purplish.
                                           21 Corolla 4-6 cm long; pedicel 1-2.5 cm long, straight; leaves pinnately dissected (the pair of lobe about the basal pair diverging from the midvein several mm above the basal pair); axillary bud developing stipule-like leaves
                                           21 Corolla 1.8-3 cm long; pedicel 5-10 cm long, spiraled; leaves palmately dissected; axillary bud not developing leaves
                                       19 Leaves simple, either unlobed or with 2-7 shallow lobe.
                                             22 Leaves linear, 2-8 mm wide, > 10× as long as wide; stems erect to ascending, bushy-branched, neither trailing nor twining
                                             22 Leaves broader, > 20 mm wide, < 5× as long as wide; stems either trailing or twining.
                                               23 Stems trailing, rooting at the node; leaf apex emarginate, truncate, obtuse, or acute.
                                                 24 Corolla lavender; larger leaves not lobed (though notched at the apex on at least the larger, better-developed leaves of I. brasiliensis)
                                                    25 Leaves rounded, acute, or short-acuminate at the apex; sepal unequal, the outer 5-6 mm long, , thicker and about 1/2 as long as the herbaceous inner sepal
                                                    25 Leaves emarginate at the apex; sepal essentially equal, 5-11 mm long
                                                 24 Corolla white with a white or purple throat (I. aquatica) or yellow or purple throat (I. imperati); larger leaves either hastate (I. aquatica) or 3-7-lobed (I. imperati).
                                                      26 Leaves hastate, the apex acute to acuminate; [plant aquatic]
                                                      26 Leaves (the larger) 3-7-lobed, the lobe apices rounded, truncate, or emarginate; [plant of dune and beaches]
                                               23 Stems erect or twining, not rooting at the node (except sometimes in I. batatas); leaf apex acute to acuminate.
                                                        27 Corolla blue, the throat white or yellow; sepal 3-7 mm long.
                                                          28 Corolla 1.5-2.5 cm long; calyx 3-5 mm long, muricate; inflorescence axis clasped by the cordate leaf base
                                                          28 Corolla 3.5-6 cm long; calyx (4-) 6-7 mm long, glabrous; inflorescence axis free
                                                        27 Corolla pink, pink-purple, or white, the throat pink or purple; sepal 4-15 mm long.
                                                            29 Leaf base sagittate or hastate.
                                                              30 Leaves glabrous; sepal oval, 8-9 mm long, apex obtuse to rounded, mucronulate, coriaceous, glabrous; corolla 5-6 cm long; [widespread in the outer Coastal Plain from ne. NC south to s. FL, west to s. TX, and scattered elsewhere as an introduction]
                                                              30 Leaves pubescent; sepal 5-8 mm long, ovate-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, apex acuminate, mucronate, ciliate; corolla 3-4 cm long; [s. FL]
                                                            29 Leaf base cordate (or rarely cuneate or truncate in some species).
                                                                 31 Sepal (especially the outer) with strongly raised-ribbed venation; seeds pilose with brownish hair ca. 5 mm long.
                                                                   32 Leaf blade cordate at base, ovate (and often pandurate) in shape, 1-2.5× as long as wide; [widespread in our region]
                                                                   32 Leaf blade broadly cuneate, truncate or shallowly cordate at base, 2-4× as long as wide; [KS, OK, and TX]
                                                                 31 Sepal with venation inconspicuous and planar or only the midvein obvious; seeds glabrous, puberulent, or lanose.
                                                                     33 Corolla 5-9 cm long, ca. 6 cm in diameter (across the limb); seeds ca. 8 mm long; [s. TX]
                                                                     33 Corolla 1-4.5 cm long, 1-4.5 cm in diameter (across the limb); seeds 2.8-7 mm long; [collectively widespread in our region].
                                                                       34 Sepal 6-15 mm long; seeds with surface glabrous, the angles sometimes short pubescent; capsule subglobose, 4-8 mm long; [Batatas Clade].
                                                                         35 Corolla 2-4.5 cm long, 2.2-3.2 cm in diameter across the limb, at least partly pink to lavender (or entirely white in I. batatas); seeds shortly pubescent on the angles.
                                                                           36 Sepal unequal in length, oblong-ovate, with acute to caudate apices; leaves mostly 10-15 cm wide; [cultivated, rarely persistent]
                                                                           36 Sepal more-or-less equal in length, oblong-lanceolate, with acuminate apices; leaves 2-5 cm wide; [native, widespread in the southern portion of our region, especially in the Coastal Plain].
                                                                              37 Sepal hispid-pilose or at least ciliate; leaf blade and stems hispid-pilose to sparsely pilose, rarely glabrous
                                                                              37 Sepal glabrous; leaf blade and stems glabrous
                                                                         35 Corolla 0.6-2.5 (-3.0) cm long, 1-2 cm in diameter across the limb, white or lavender; seeds glabrous.
                                                                                38 Corolla white; seeds 5-6 mm long
                                                                                38 Corolla pink or lavender; seeds 2.8-3.6 mm long.
                                                                                  39 Sepal 5-7 mm long, oblong
                                                                                  39 Sepal 8-14 mm long, lanceolate.
                                                                                    40 Sepal mostly 8-11 mm long, subequal; corolla 2-2.5 cm in diameter across the limb
                                                                                    40 Sepal mostly 10-14 mm long, equal; corolla 1.5-2 cm in diameter across the limb