Annuals, perennials, shrubs, or lianas [trees]. Stems usually decumbent, erect, trailing, or twining, sometimes ascending or repent, rarely floating; glabrous or hairy. Leaves petiolate; blade usually cordate, lanceolate, linear, ovate, reniform, sagittate, or ± palmately lobed, rarely cuneate-obovate, deltate, elliptic, orbiculate, pandurate, palmatisect, pentagonal, pinnatisect, sagittate, or triangular, (10–)30–120(–250+) mm, surfaces glabrous or hairy. Inflorescences: flowers usually in 2–3(–25+)-flowered cymes or flowers solitary, rarely in panicles; bracts leaflike to scalelike. Flowers: sepals elliptic, lanceolate, oblong, ovate, or suborbiculate, (3–)8–15(–30) mm; corolla usually blue, lavender, pink, purple, red, violet, or white, sometimes orange, red and yellow, or red-orange, usually funnelform, sometimes campanulate or salverform, (6–)20–80(–150+) mm, limb entire, 5-angled, or 5-lobed; anthers straight after dehiscence, pollen pantoporate and echinate; styles 1; stigmas entire or 2(–3)-lobed, capitate or globose. Fruits capsular, globose to ovoid, dehiscence irregular or valvate. Seeds 1–4(–6), usually ellipsoid, globose, or ovoid, sometimes trigonous, glabrous or hairy. x = 15.

Distribution

North America, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, Eurasia, Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia.

Discussion

Species 600+ (47, including 1 hybrid, in the flora).

Reports by J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham (1999) of Ipomoea cordifolia Carey ex Voight from Alabama and I. meyeri (Sprengel) G. Don from Georgia have not been verified. Ipomoea horsfalliae Hooker is cultivated in Florida; it is not known to be established or recurrent in the flora area.

In protologue, Ipomoea gilana K. Keith & J. A. McDonald was reported to be similar to I. lindheimeri and to nest phylogenetically near I. orizabensis (G. Pelletan) Ledebour ex Steudel, which, in the broad sense, is known from Chihuahua, Mexico, and southward. Ipomoea gilana is known from the Black Range in southwestern New Mexico and will key here to I. indica.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Ipomoea alba, Ipomoea amnicola, Ipomoea aquatica, Ipomoea asarifolia, Ipomoea barbatisepala, Ipomoea batatas, Ipomoea cairica, Ipomoea capillacea, Ipomoea cardiophylla, Ipomoea carnea, Ipomoea coccinea, Ipomoea cordatotriloba, Ipomoea costellata, Ipomoea cristulata, Ipomoea dumetorum, Ipomoea hederacea, Ipomoea hederifolia, Ipomoea imperati, Ipomoea indica, Ipomoea lacunosa, Ipomoea leptophylla, Ipomoea lindheimeri, Ipomoea longifolia, Ipomoea macrorhiza, Ipomoea microdactyla, Ipomoea muricata, Ipomoea nil, Ipomoea pandurata, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Ipomoea plummerae, Ipomoea pubescens, Ipomoea purpurea, Ipomoea quamoclit, Ipomoea rupicola, Ipomoea sagittata, Ipomoea setosa, Ipomoea shumardiana, Ipomoea sloteri, Ipomoea tenuiloba, Ipomoea tenuissima, Ipomoea ternifolia, Ipomoea thurberi, Ipomoea tricolor, Ipomoea triloba, Ipomoea violacea, Ipomoea wrightii, Ipomoea ×leucantha

Key

1	Corollas ± salverform, (funnelform-salverform in I. thurberi; limb sometimes ± campanulate in I. muricata and I. setosa).	> 2
2	Flowers diurnal (open all day); corollas usually orange, red, red and yellow, or red-orange, sometimes white (cultivars of I. coccinea and I. quamoclit), 14–50 mm.	> 3
3	Perennials; corollas red.	Ipomoea microdactyla
3	Annuals; corollas usually red, red and yellow, or red-orange, sometimes white (cultivars of I. coccinea and I. quamoclit).	> 4
4	Leaf blades palmati-pinnate or pinnatisect.	> 5
5	Leaf blades palmati-pinnate, lobes 7–11+.	Ipomoea sloteri
5	Leaf blades pinnatisect, lobes 19–41+.	Ipomoea quamoclit
4	Leaf blades not palmati-pinnate or pinnatisect.	> 6
6	Sepals ± equal, 4–4.5 mm.	Ipomoea hederifolia
6	Sepals unequal, outers 3–3.5 mm, inners 4–5.7 mm.	> 7
7	Leaf blades usually cordate, sometimes ovate, sagittate, or triangular.	Ipomoea coccinea
7	Leaf blades usually (3–)5–7-lobed, middle lobe narrowly ± rhombic, sometimes proximal blades cordate to ovate, not lobed.	Ipomoea cristulata
2	Flowers nocturnal (open dusk to early morning); corollas usually lavender, pink, or white, tubes sometimes purple to red, limbs or throats sometimes purple, red, or with green or yellowish bands or lines, 30–150 mm.	> 8
8	Leaf blades usually palmatisect, sometimes sagittate.	> 9
9	Sepals 5–12 mm; corolla limbs 30–36 mm diam.	Ipomoea tenuiloba
9	Sepals 12–15 mm; corolla limbs 50–65 mm diam.	Ipomoea thurberi
8	Leaf blades cordate, orbiculate, ovate, triangular, triangular-ovate, or 3–5(–7)-lobed.	> 10
10	Leaf blade surfaces: abaxial tomentulose, adaxial glabrous; corollas white, throat lavender to purple inside.	Ipomoea macrorhiza
10	Leaf blade surfaces glabrous or hairy, not tomentulose; corollas usually lavender, pink, or white, sometimes with green or yellowish bands or lines.	> 11
11	Sepal apices acute, outers each with ± corniform appendage.	> 12
12	Corollas white, throat green-banded inside; fruits 20–30 mm.	Ipomoea alba
12	Corollas white, turning lavender; fruits 18–20 mm.	Ipomoea muricata
11	Sepal apices emarginate, obtuse, or truncate, none with corniform appendages.	> 13
13	Stems ± setose; corollas lavender or pink.	Ipomoea setosa
13	Stems not setose; corollas white, limb with yellowish lines.	Ipomoea violacea
1	Corollas funnelform.	> 14
14	Peduncles usually hairy and hairs usually ± antrorse, retrorse, or spreading, rarely appressed, rarely glabrous or glabrate (I. barbatisepala and I. indica); sepals herbaceous.	> 15
15	Perennials.	> 16
16	Leaf blade surfaces glabrous or ± pilose; sepals glabrous or abaxial surface sparsely hairy, hairs appressed.	Ipomoea indica
16	Leaf blade surfaces ± hirsute or sericeous; sepal surfaces: abaxial ± hispid or sericeous.	> 17
17	Leaf blades broadly ovate to reniform, usually 3–5(–7)-lobed; sepals 18–30 mm.	Ipomoea lindheimeri
17	Leaf blades cordate, ovate, or 3–5-lobed; sepals 9–21 mm.	Ipomoea pubescens
15	Annuals.	> 18
18	Leaf blades (3–)5–7-lobed, palmatisect (incised nearly to petiole tip).	Ipomoea barbatisepala
18	Leaf blades cordate, orbiculate, ovate, or 3(–5)-lobed, not palmatisect.	> 19
19	Sepals elliptic, lance-oblong, or oblong, 8–15 mm, narrowed distal portion shorter to slightly longer than dilated base.	Ipomoea purpurea
19	Sepals ± lanceolate or lance-linear, 12–30 mm, narrowed distal portion notably longer than dilated base.	> 20
20	Sepals ± lanceolate, 12–24 mm, proximally ovate, abruptly narrowed to ± curved or spreading distal portion; corollas 20–37(–45) mm.	Ipomoea hederacea
20	Sepals lance-linear, 15–25(–30) mm, proximally narrowly ovate, grad­ually narrowed to ± straight distal portion; corollas (20–)30–60+ mm.	Ipomoea nil
14	Peduncles usually glabrous or hairy and hairs appressed, sometimes puberulent (I. carnea), sparsely hispidulous (I. costellata), pilosulous on proximal 1–2 mm and otherwise glabrous (I. dumetorum), or setose; sepals usually chartaceous or coriaceous, sometimes herbaceous or membranous.	> 21
21	Stems usually repent, (rooting at nodes), rarely twining.	> 22
22	Leaf blades hastate, lanceolate, linear, oblong, ovate, or ± 3–5-lobed; corollas usu­ally purple or white, throat sometimes purplish or yellow inside.	> 23
23	Sepals elliptic-ovate to oblong-ovate, 6–8 mm, ± equal; corollas usually purple, rarely white.	Ipomoea aquatica
23	Sepals lance-oblong, 10–15 mm, unequal; corollas white, throat usually yellow, sometimes purplish, inside.	Ipomoea imperati
22	Leaf blades cordate, ± orbiculate, ovate, reniform, or rounded-cordate; corollas usually lavender, pink, or red, rarely white, throat sometimes darker inside.	> 24
24	Leaf blade apices acute to rounded; corollas usually red, rarely white, 50–80 mm.	Ipomoea asarifolia
24	Leaf blade apices ± emarginate; corollas lavender or pink, 35–40(–70) mm.	Ipomoea pes-caprae
21	Stems not repent.	> 25
25	Stems usually erect, sometimes ± trailing (I. leptophylla).	> 26
26	Shrubs; leaf blades 40–170 mm wide, bases cordate or ± truncate.	Ipomoea carnea
26	Perennials; leaf blades 2–8(–10) mm wide, bases ± cuneate.	Ipomoea leptophylla
25	Stems usually trailing, twining, or twining only near tips, rarely ascending, decum­bent, or erect.	> 27
27	Leaf blades cuneate-obovate and distally ± incised, 3–5(–7+)-toothed.	Ipomoea plummerae
27	Leaf blades not cuneate-obovate and distally incised.	> 28
28	Leaf blades palmatisect (incised ± to petiole tip), lobes (3–)5–9+, usually filiform, lance-linear, lanceolate, linear, or narrowly oblanceolate to spat­ulate, sometimes elliptic, lance-elliptic, or lance-ovate.	> 29
29	Annuals.	> 30
30	Corollas 10–12 mm.	Ipomoea costellata
30	Corollas 18–30(–40) mm.	> 31
31	Leaf blade lobes 5–7(–9), usually filiform to linear, sometimes lance-linear, 0.2–2(–5) mm wide.	Ipomoea ternifolia
31	Leaf blade lobes 5, lance-linear to lanceolate, (5–)10–15(–20) mm wide.	Ipomoea wrightii
29	Perennials.	> 32
32	Leaf blade lobes 5 (proximal 2 lobes sometimes 2-lobed), lance-elliptic, lanceolate, or lance-ovate, (3–)8–15(–30) mm wide.	Ipomoea cairica
32	Leaf blade lobes (3–)5–9, filiform, lanceolate, linear, or spatulate, 0.2–2.5(–6.5) mm wide.	> 33
33	Corollas white (limb sometimes purple or pale rose), 35–65 mm.	Ipomoea tenuiloba
33	Corollas lavender, purple, or red-purple, 25–40 mm.	> 34
34	Stems usually ± trailing, sometimes ascending, erect, or twining near tips; leaf blade lobes 3–30(–50) × (0.5–)1–2.5 mm.	Ipomoea plummerae
34	Stems usually ascending to erect, sometimes trailing; leaf blade lobes (3–)5–15(–25) × 0.2–1 mm.	Ipomoea capillacea
28	Leaf blades not palmatisect, sometimes palmately lobed.	> 35
35	Corollas usually blue (drying pink or purple), sometimes white, some­times throat white outside and yellow inside.	> 36
36	Corollas 26–27 mm, limb 30–35 mm diam.	Ipomoea cardiophylla
36	Corollas 35–60 mm, limb 50–90 mm diam.	Ipomoea tricolor
35	Corollas lavender, lavender-pink, lilac, pink, pink-purple, purple, purplish, red-purple, or ± white, throat sometimes darker inside.	> 37
37	Sepals dotted with dark spots on abaxial surface.	Ipomoea dumetorum
37	Sepals not dotted with dark spots.	> 38
38	Leaf blades usually hastate or sagittate, ± triangular, sometimes ovate.	> 39
39	Leaf blade surfaces glabrous; sepals elliptic, oblong, or ovate, 8–9 mm; corollas 60–90 mm.	Ipomoea sagittata
39	Leaf blade surfaces ± hairy, adaxial sometimes glabrate; sepals lance-oblong, lanceolate, or lance-ovate, 5–8 mm; corollas 30–45 mm.	Ipomoea tenuissima
38	Leaf blades usually cordate, cordate-ovate, deltate-ovate, lance-oblong, lanceolate, lance-ovate, linear, oblong-ovate, orbiculate, ovate, pandurate, or reniform, some­times 3–5(–7)-lobed.	> 40
40	Annuals; corollas 6–20(–25) mm.	> 41
41	Sepals 6–7 mm, apices acute or obtuse.	Ipomoea triloba
41	Sepals (8–)11–14 mm, apices acuminate.	> 42
42	Corollas white, 15–20(–25) mm; fruits 10–13 mm diam.	Ipomoea lacunosa
42	Corollas lavender or white, 6–15(–20) mm; fruits 7–8 mm diam.	Ipomoea × leucantha
40	Perennials; corollas 18–100 mm.	> 43
43	Sepals 4–5.5 mm.	Ipomoea amnicola
43	Sepals 8–22 mm.	> 44
44	Corollas 20–38 mm.	Ipomoea cordatotriloba
44	Corollas (30–)40–100 mm.	> 45
45	Corollas usually lavender, lavender-pink, pink, or purple, some­times white, throat usually darker inside.	> 46
46	Leaf blade bases cordate; corollas (30–)40–70 mm; seeds glabrous.	Ipomoea batatas
46	Leaf blade bases cordate-hastate; corollas 70–90 mm; seeds hairy.	Ipomoea rupicola
45	Corollas pink or ± white, throat lavender, purple, purple-red, or red inside.	> 47
47	Leaf blades cordate, cordate-ovate, or pandurate.	Ipomoea pandurata
47	Leaf blades deltate-ovate, lance-oblong, lanceolate, lance-ovate, or linear.	> 48
48	Leaf blades lance-oblong, lanceolate, or linear, 100–120(–210) mm; Arizona.	Ipomoea longifolia
48	Leaf blades deltate-ovate or narrowly lance-ovate, 30–80 mm; Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas.	Ipomoea shumardiana