1660 



IPOMCEA 



IPOMCEA 



2-5 in. long, ovate-cordate, the lobes ovate to ovate- 

 lanceolate, entire, or the lateral lobes repand or dentic- 

 ulate: the middle lobe narrowed at the base: peduncle 

 1-3-fld., mostly shorter than the petiole; corolla funnel- 

 form, the tube usually white, the limb light blue, 

 purple or rose, and in various combinations of these 

 colors; sepals hairy, lanceolate, with long and often 

 recurved tips. July-Oct. Widely naturalized from 

 Trop. Amer. in fields and waste places, Pa. to Fla., 

 west to Neb. and Mex. Perhaps native in the South. 

 B.R. 85 and 276 (as I. cserulea). B.M. 188 (as Con- 

 volvulus Nil). Gn. 27, p. 473. This species shows great 

 variation in the form of its Ivs., both on the same 

 plant and on different plants. In some forms formerly 

 known as 7. Nil, the Ivs. are nearly entire; in others 

 they are very deeply lobed. Next to 7. pur pur ea, this 

 is now the most popular morning-glory in cult., and 

 the intro. of the improved Japanese strains will extend 

 its usefulness. Before the appearance of these oriental 

 varieties in occidental gardens, the species had already 

 varied into many distinct horticultural varieties; as 

 var. limbata, (7. limbata, Hort.), with the corolla violet- 

 purple, edged with white. B.M. 5720 (as Pharbitis 

 Nil). Gn. 29, p. 32. Var. marmorata ccelestina, 

 large fls., marbled and striped with light blue. Gt. 44, 

 p. 592. Var. marmorata rosea, fls. marbled with rose. 

 Gt. 44, p. 76. Var. foliis marmoratis, Ivs. marked 

 with yellow, limb of corolla rose-color. Var. grandifldra, 

 large blue fls. Var. Ferrandiana, similar to var. grandi- 

 flora. Aside from these strains, the following named 

 varieties of Japanese ipomceas are offered: Antigone, 

 Ivs. variegated: fls. blue, with pink throat. Aglaia, 

 Ivs. variegated : fls. crimson, with white throat. Aseria, 

 fls. dull copper-red. Ceres, like Aglaia, but fls. edged 

 with white. Euphrosyne, Ivs. variegated: fls. pure 

 white, with pink throat. Princess, fls. spotted with 

 carmine. Gt. 47, p. 133. A form with foliage dotted 

 with white is show_n in I.H. 43, p. 75. The various 

 strains give fls. which are diversely scalloped, ruffled, 

 fringed, double, and show a wonderful range of 

 coloring. 



14. Learii, Paxt. BLUE DAWN-FLOWER. St. a very 

 rapid grower, often 30-40 ft. long, somewhat shrubby at 

 the base: Ivs. 3-6 in. long, cordate, acute, mostly entire 

 or slightly 3-lobed, variable: fls. borne in clusters of 12- 

 30, opening in succession; corolla 4-5 in. broad, bell- 

 shaped, deep lilac, sometimes dark purple with five 

 lighter plaits. Very beautiful. Aug.-Oct. Tropics of 

 both hemispheres; widespread. B.M. 3928 (as Pharbi- 

 tis Lean). B.R. 27:56 (as Pharbitis Leari). A magnif- 

 icent species for the warmhouse, but not usually satis- 

 factory outside, at least in the N. One plant is on 

 record as producing 60,000 fls. at the rate of 300 a day. 

 When grown in the open the fls. are likely to be an 

 unattractive coppery purple. Thoroughly naturalized 

 in S. Calif., and a most useful plant for covering waste 

 places, enbankments, and the like. 



15. microdactylum, Griseb. A glabrous, woody, 

 perennial twining vine, several feet in height, the sts. 

 often covered with rough corky projections: root large 

 and woody: Ivs. 3-5-lobed or sub-entire, thick: fls. 

 scarlet, sub-sal verform, about \Yi in. long, the limb as 

 broad and slightly 5-lobed; stamens slightly exserted. 

 Fla. Keys and Cuba. This is often mistaken for I. 

 fuchsioides, Griseb., a rare and little-known Cuban 

 species, not found on the Fla. Keys and probably not in 

 cult. Var. integrifolium, House. Lvs. entire, oblong- 

 ovate, subcordate or obtuse at the base. Commoner 

 than the species. Intermediate If .-forms are often found 

 on the same plant. 



16. Purga, Hayne (7. Jaldpa, Nutt. & Coxe, not 

 Pursh). Lvs. sagittate - cordate, smooth: peduncles 

 generally 1-fld., longer than the petioles; fls. rose-pur- 

 ple; corolla long-tubular, with a flat limb. Sept., Oct. 

 Trop. Amer. B.R. 33:49 (as Exogonium Purga). 



The "Jalap" of commerce is an active purgative made 

 by grinding to a powder dried slices of the tuberous 

 roots of this species. It was principally collected near 

 Xalapa, Mex., of which Jalap is a corruption. 



17. angustifolia, Jacq. (7. fdicaulis, Blume). St. 

 prostrate, trailing or rarely climbing, much-branched: 

 Ivs. 1-3 in. long, less than 1 in. wide, glabrous: pedun- 

 cles exceeding the petioles, bearing 1-2 small, bell- 

 shaped fls., which are yellowish white with a purple 

 eye. Aug., Sept. Widely distributed in Trop. Asia, 

 Afr. and Amer. B.M. 5426. B.R. 317 (as 7. denticu- 

 lata). Sometimes grown in the warmhouse, but there 

 is hardly enough foliage to set off the pretty dark- 

 eyed fls. 



18. tricolor, Cav. (7. rubro-caerulea, Hook. 7. Hodkeri, 

 Don and Hort.). St. tinged with purple, branched, 10-20 

 ft. high : Ivs membranaceous, much-veined, short-acumi- 



1963. Ipomoea digitate. ( X 1 A) 



nate: peduncle hollow and wand-like, longer than 

 petioles, 3-4-fld.; fls. 3-4 in. wide, the tube white and 

 limb red before expanding, at length purple or china- 

 blue. Aug.-Oct. Mex. R.H. 1855:441 (as Pharbitis 

 rubro-caerulea). B.M. 3297. P.M. 3:99. Gn. 27:72. 

 G.C.III.53: 104. One of the most beautiful of annual 

 climbers. The fls. are often dashed, blotched and 

 shaded with rose, or are entirely rose. It is likely to 

 run to vine when out-of-doors unless the roots are 

 confined in a box or pot to induce early flowering. It 

 makes an excellent pot-plant for the greenhouse. Var. 

 Heavenly Blue, from Calif., proves to be a blue form 

 of 7. tricolor, which is especially valuable for cut-fls. 

 Var. alba, Hort., has pure white fls. 



19. Horsfalliae, Hook. Fls. many, in a 2-branched 

 cyme; corolla bell-shaped, the limb of 5 broad, rounded 

 lobes, very showy. Cosmopolitan tropics. B.M. 3315. 

 P.M. 3:50. F.S. 16:1647. Perhaps the most popular 

 ipomcea for winter-flowering in a warmhouse. If well 

 treated it will climb 20-30 ft., and will bear hundreds 

 of fls. each day in early winter. May also be grown 

 out-of-doors, but it will not come into bloom till late 

 fall unless the roots are cramped. Var. alba, Hort.. 



