Annuals, perennials, or subshrubs. Stems ascending, decumbent, erect, procumbent, or prostrate, glabrous, glabrate, or hairy. Leaves: sessile or subsessile; blade elliptic, lanceolate, linear, oblanceolate, oblong, orbiculate, or ovate, 2–35 mm, surfaces glabrate, glabrous, or hairy. Inflorescences 2 or 3+-flowered cymes or flowers solitary. Flowers: sepals lance-linear, lanceolate, lanceolate-ovate, oblong, or ovate, 2–6 mm; corolla usually blue, lavender, purple, or white, rarely violet, campanulate, funnelform, or rotate, 3–15+ mm, limb 5-angled or -lobed to subentire, 5–12(–22) mm diam.; styles 2, distinct or basally connate, each 2-fid 1/2+ length; stigma lobes 4, filiform to subclavate. Fruits capsular, globose to ovoid, dehiscence circumscissle or valvate. Seeds 1–4, complanate to ± globose, glabrous, surfaces smooth or verrucose. x = 13.

Distribution

North America, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, introduced in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia.

Discussion

Species ca. 100 (7 in the flora).

A record of Evolvulus nummularius (Linnaeus) Linnaeus for Florida is based on Rugel 108 (US), which is probably from Cuba (D. B. Ward 1968b).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Evolvulus alsinoides, Evolvulus arenarius, Evolvulus arizonicus, Evolvulus convolvuloides, Evolvulus grisebachii, Evolvulus nuttallianus, Evolvulus sericeus

Key

1	Peduncles plus pedicels filiform, (8–)12–50+ mm.	> 2
2	Herbage glabrous or sparsely hairy and glabrescent, hairs appressed; stems usually procumbent or prostrate, sometimes decumbent.	Evolvulus convolvuloides
2	Herbage usually hairy, hairs ± appressed to spreading, sometimes tomentose; stems usually ascending, decumbent, or erect, rarely procumbent.	> 3
3	Leaf blades lanceolate, lance-linear, or linear; sepals lanceolate to lance-linear, 3–3.5 mm, abaxially pilose to tomentose; corolla limbs (10–)12–22 mm diam.	Evolvulus arizonicus
3	Leaf blades elliptic, lanceolate, oblong, or ovate; sepals lanceolate, 2–2.5 mm, abaxially glabrous or pilose; corolla limbs (5–)7–10 mm diam.	Evolvulus alsinoides
1	Peduncles plus pedicels stout, 0–2(–5+) mm.	> 4
4	Leaves distichous.	> 5
5	Stems decumbent to prostrate; leaf blades usually ovate to broadly ovate, sometimes suborbiculate, 5–8(–10) × 4–7 mm.	Evolvulus grisebachii
5	Stems ascending or procumbent; leaf blades elliptic, lanceolate, oblong, or ovate, 4–25 × 2–10 mm.	Evolvulus sericeus
4	Leaves pentastichous.	> 6
6	Internodes usually 4+ mm; leaf blades elliptic to linear; outer sepals ovate, 3–4 mm; rhizomatous perennial.	Evolvulus arenarius
6	Internodes rarely 4+ mm; leaf blades usually elliptic, sometimes linear-oblong or narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, rarely oblong; outer sepals lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 4–5 mm; subshrub.	Evolvulus nuttallianus