CONVOLVULACEAE 389 



5. M. gemella (Burm.) HaUier f. 



A slender, twining, glabrous vine reaching a length of 4 to 6 m. Leaves 

 ovate, 4 to 9 cm long, entire, sharply acuminate, base prominently cordate, 

 the lobes rounded. Cymes axillary,. solitary, peduncled, 8 to IB cm long, 

 usually many-flowered. Sepals green, elliptic, obtuse, 6 to 6 mm long. 

 Corolla yellow, about 2.5 cm long, funnel-shaped. Capsule ovoid, about 

 1 cm in diameter. 



In thickets and open places, fl. Oct.-Feb.; widely distributed in the Phil- 

 ippines, possibly introduced. Tropical Asia and Africa, through Malaya 

 to Australia. 



6. M. umbellata (L.) Hallier f, var. orientalis Hallier f. 



A twining herbaceous vine, more or less pubescent, the stems slender. 

 Leaves oblong to oblong-ovate, 8 to 12 cm long, acute or acuminate, entire 

 or nearly so, base cordate, softly pubescent on both surfaces. Peduncles 

 axillary, solitary, shorter than or equaling the petioles, the inflorescence 

 cymose, dense, many-flowered. Sepals about 6 mm long. Corolla white, 

 tubular-funnel-shaped about 3 cm long, the limb about 2.5 cm in diameter. 

 Capsule ovoid, glabrous, about 1 cm long, the seeds covered with spreading 

 black or brown hairs. 



In open places, thickets, etc., fl. Dec-March; widely distributed in the 

 Philippines, probably introduced. Tropical Asia, Africa, Malaya, and Aus- 

 tralia. 



Var. OCCIDENTALS Hallier f. 



Similar to the above, but flowers yellow. 



Rare in Manila, apparently introduced. Tropical America, introduced 

 in Bengal and in the Malay Peninsula. 



11. IPOMOEA Linnaeus 



Twining or prostrate herbaceous vines with alternate, entire, lobed, or 

 divided leaves. Flowers axillary, solitary or cymose. Sepals ovate to 

 linear, equal or unequal. Corolla usually campanulate, the limb plicate^ 

 slightly 6-lobed. Stamens 5, included or rarely exserted, the filaments fiome- 

 times dilated at the base. Ovary 2- or 3-celled, rarely 4-celled; ovules 

 usually 4. Fruit a 4- to 6-valved capsule, rarely indehiscent. (From the 

 Greek "bind-weed" and "like.") 



Species about 300, in all tropical countries, about 15 in the Philippines. 



1, Sepals much elongated, the tips oblong to linear-lanceolate, clothed with 

 long spreading hairs at the base. 



2. Leaves 3-lobed ,- 1. /. nil 



. 2. Leave entire 2. /. purpurea 



1. Sepals not much elongated, glabrous or hairy, never linear-lanceolate. 

 2. Leaves hairy on both surfaces, deeply 5- to 9rlobed; flowers white. 



3. /. pes-tigridia 

 2. Leaves glabrous or only slightly hairy. 

 3. Leaves deeply 5- to 9-lobed. 

 4. Corolla pink-purple, the lobes of the leaves reaching about two- 

 thirds to the base - 4. /. digitatit 



4. Corolla lavender-purple, the lobes of the leaves extending quite 

 or nearly to the base 5. /. cairica 



