Convolvulaceae Juss.

Gemma Bramley, Anna Trias-Blasi & Richard Wilford (2023). The Kew Temperate Plant Families Identification Handbook. Kew Publishing Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Recognition

Characters of similar families: Cucurbitaceae: tendrils present, ovary inferior. Solanaceae: sepals fused, anthers connivent, occasionally dehiscing by pores, staminodes present; fruit manyseeded, often a berry. Apocynaceae: leaves opposite; corolla tubular, mid-petaline bands absent, gynoecium apocarpous, fruit a follicle, drupe or berry.

Morphology General Habit

Herbs, shrubs, frequently twining or prostrate, less often erect, rarely trees or leafless parasites

Morphology General Sap

Sap or latex milky, often present

Morphology Leaves

Leaves simple, weakly to deeply lobed, or compound, alternate; margins usually entire

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences usually axillary cymes, sometimes capitate, or solitary, often bracteate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, sympetalous, 5-merous; sepals usually free and overlapping, persistent, sometimes enlarged in fruit; corolla campanulate to funnel-shaped, tubular or salverform; entire to shallowly or deeply lobed, corolla lobes bearing mid-petaline bands, often with distinct colour, texture or indumentum from the remainder of the corolla; stamens 5, usually included; anthers free (not connivent), longitudinally or spirally dehiscing (never by pores); ovary superior, 2(3–5)-carpellate, 2–4-lobed, styles 1 or 2, terminal or gynobasic; stigmas biglobular, elliptic or filliform

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit typically a (3–)4-valved capsule, more rarely a single-seeded utricle or fleshy berry, or nut-like

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1–4, sometimes hair-bearing.

Distribution

61 genera and ca. 1,900 species widespread in tropical and temperate regions, but significantly more diverse in the tropics. The main genera in temperate regions are Calystegia, Convolvulus, Cuscuta, Dichondra and Ipomoea.

Note

Herbs, shrubs, twiners. Leaves alternate. Flowers actinomorphic, sympetalous, 5-merous; sepals usually free and overlapping; corolla funnel-shaped to tubular with mid-petaline bands; ovary superior, syncarpous; anthers not connivent, longitudinally or spirally dehiscing. Fruit often 3–4-valved dry capsule.

Description Author

Ana Rita Simões

Convolvulaceae, H. Heine. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit

Herbaceous or woody plants, often climbing, juice usually milky

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, simple; stipules absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic; bracts often forming an involucre

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals usually free, imbricate, persistent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla gamopetalous, mostly funnel-shaped, lobes 5, contorted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium

Stamens 5, inserted towards the base of the corolla-tube and alternate with the lobes; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium

Ovary often surrounded by a disk, 1-4-celled; ovules solitary or paired, erect; style terminal

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a capsule or fleshy

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Cotyledons folded or crumpled Seeds sometimes hairy, with rather scanty endosperm and more or less curved embryo

Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Morphology General Habit

Twining herbs, lianas, subshrubs, shrubs, or trees, some species with milky sap; rootstocks sometimes large and tuberous, otherwise fibrous

Morphology Leaves

Leaves usually simple, entire to pinnately lobed or pectinate, some species palmately compound, alternate, stipules absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences solitary in leaf axils or in racemose or paniculate dichasia, some dichasial basally and monochasial above

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers small and inconspicuous to large and showy, but usually wilting quickly after opening (mostly within 4-5 hrs), perfect or unisexual (some African species), actinomorphic or slightly irregular; sepals 5, distinct, imbricate, equal or unequal, persistent, occasionally accrescent; corollas tubular, funnelform, campanulate, urceolate, or salverform, 5- lobed, 5-toothed or ± entire, with plicae (areas folded in bud) and interplicae (unfolded in bud), usually induplicate and often also convolute in bud; nectary disc annular or cup-shaped, sometimes 5- lobed, occasionally absent; stamens 5, distinct; filaments inserted on corolla tube base alternate with corolla lobes; anthers dithecal, usually linear or oblong, extrorse or introrse; ovary superior, 2-4(-6)-carpellate, usually with as many cells, placentation basal or basal - axile, ovules 2(4-6) per cell, or ovary 1-celled and ovules 4, these erect, anatropous; style 1, filiform simple or bifid, or sometimes with 2 distinct styles; stigmas capitate or bilobed, or, when stigmas 2, then linear, ellipsoid, or globose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits capsular, dehiscent by valves, transversely or irregularly, or indehiscent and baccate or nut -like; seeds 1-4(6), often fewer than ovules, glabrous or pubescent, endosperm absent or scanty, cartilaginous, cotyledons usually foliaceous .

Note

Number of genera: 26 genera (see Distribution above).

Diagnostic

Aniseia & Calycobolus: Two outer sepals larger than inner three; fruits dehiscent in Aniseia, indehiscent in Calycobolus. Convolvulus: Stigmas linear. Cressa: Subshrub, haline sites, white flowers. Dichondra:  Creeping stems; leaves kidney-shaped; flowers inconspicuous. Evolvulus: 2 separate styles each with 2 clavate stigmas. Jacquemontia: Stigmas oblong-flattened; fruits with >8 valves or valve segments; often with stellate trichomes. Merremia & Operculina: Fruits capsular in Merremia, operculate in Operculina; pollen smooth, 3-multiple colpate. Ipomoea: Pollen spinulose (visible with 10x magnification), pantoporate (requires microscope). Turbina: Fruits chartaceous, indehiscent, typically 1-seeded. Fruits (dehiscent, indehiscent, number of valves). Trichomes (stellate in many Jacquemontia and a few Ipomoea). Pollen (colpate, polycolpate, porate; surface spinulose [visible with 10x magnification] or microspinulose [visible only in light or SEM microscopy]). Distinguishing characters (always present): Alternate leaves. Stipules absent. Milky sap or latex usually present (sometimes inconspicuous). Chorisepalous. Actinomorphic. Sympetalous. Plaited corolla, Filaments adnate to corolla. Ovarysuperior. Erectsessile ovules with basal to axile placentation. Folded cotyledons. Bicollateral vascular strands are present. Key differences from similar families: Solanaceae similar, but has: Synsepalous calyx. Sometimes zygomorphic corollas.

Distribution

See distribution Aniseia Choisy: S. Florida (adventive) to southern South America (southern Mexico, Mesoamerica, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispanola to Tobago, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyanas, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay). Argyreia Lour.: (native to Old World; widely cultivated in Americas, not naturalized). Bonamia Thouars:  (Mexico to Brazil, Peru). Calycobolus Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.:  (Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil). Convolvulus L.: (Mexico, Mesoamérica, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brasil, Antilles, south to Chile and Uruguay). Cressa L.: (Utah to Arizona & New Mexico, Baja California to San Luis Potosí, Mesoamérica, Ecuador, Perú, Chile, Argentina). Dichondra Forst. & Forst. f.:  (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora & Chihuahua to Oaxaca, Mesoamérica, Antilles, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina). Dicranostyles Benth.:  (Costa Rica to Brazil and Bolivia). Evolvulus L.: (southern United States south to Brazil and Bolivia). Hewittia Wight & Arn.:  (Jamaica, introduced). Ipomoea L.: (southern United States to Chile, Uruguay). Iseia O'Donell:  (Mesoamérica, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú, Brasil, Paraguay, Argentina, Trinidad, Tobago). Itzaea Standl. & Steyerm.: (Veracruz, Mexico to Nicaragua). Jacquemontia Choisy:  (Arizona, Florida, Baja California Sur & Sonora to Veracruz, Oaxaca, Mesoamérica, Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Brasil, Argentina). Lysiostyles Benth.:  (Guyanas, Brazil). Maripa Aubl.: (Chiapas, Mexico south to Peru and Brazil). Merremia Dennst. ex Endl.:  (southern United States, Mesoamérica; Colombia, Venezuela, Guayanas, Ecuador, Perú, Brasil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Antillas). Odonellia K.R.Robertson:  (Tamaulipas, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Mexico through Mesoamérica, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú). Operculina Silva Manso: (Mexico through Mesoamérica, south to Brazil). Petrogenia I.M.Johnst.(Mexico). Porana Burm.f. (Mexico). Poranopsis Roberty (cultivated and naturalized from Asia). Stictocardia Hallier f. (native to Old World; widely cultivated in Americas, naturalized in Florida, the Caribbean, South America). Tetralocularia O'Donell (Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname); Turbina Raf. (naturalized in Florida and Texas; Mexico, Mesoamérica, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Perú, Brasil, Bolivia, Paraguay). Xenostegia D.F.Austin & Staples (Puerto Rico, naturalized).

Timothy Utteridge & Gemma Bramley (2020). The Kew Tropical Plant Families Identification Handbook, Second Edition. Kew Publishing Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Note

Herbs, shrubs, twiners. Leaves alternate. Flowers actinomorphic, (4)5-merous; sepals usually free and overlapping; corolla tubular with midpetaline bands; ovary superior. Fruit usually dehiscent 4-seeded capsule.

Recognition

Characters of similar families: Cucurbitaceae: tendrils present, ovary inferior. Solanaceae: sepals fused, fruit many-seeded. Apocynaceae: leaves opposite, mid-petaline bands absent.

Morphology General Habit

Herbs, shrubs, twiners, rarely trees or leafless parasites, frequently twining or prostrate, less often erect; milky sap or latex present or absent

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules absent

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate; simple, occasionally compound; lamina margins entire, or weakly to deeply lobed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence usually in axillary cymes, sometimes capitate, or solitary, sometimes racemose or in a terminal thyrse, often bracteate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers actinomorphic, 5-merous, usually bisexual, sometimes unisexual; sepals usually free and overlapping, persistent; corolla campanulate to funnel-shaped or salverform, in bud, a band of each of its 5 segments exposed to the exterior, the remainder of the corolla folded inwards, the 5 segments appearing as mid-petaline bands when corolla open; stamens 5, usually included; ovary superior, 2(3–5) carpellate, deeply 2–4-lobed; styles 1 or 2, terminal or gynobasic. Fruit typically a dehiscent (1–)4-seeded capsule, more rarely a single-seeded utricle or fleshy berry, or nut-like

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1–4, sometimes hair-bearing.

Distribution

Widespread in tropical and temperate regions, 59 genera and c. 1,800 species. Dryland species are low-growing herbs or shrubs in grassy or rocky places.

Ecology

In the wet tropics, species are herbaceous in thickets or forest margins, or woody, reaching the canopy.

Description Author

Gemma Bramley

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit

Annual or perennial herbs, twining vines, shrubs, or rarely trees, sometimes parasites with elongate slender stems and leaves reduced to scales; sap often milky; leaves alternate, simple and entire, lobed or variously dissected; stipules absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers axillary, solitary or in cymose heads or panicles, regular or nearly so, usually soon withering

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx of usually 5 free sepals, these imbricate, equal or unequal, usually persistent and often enlarging in fruit

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla gamopetalous and tubular, funnel-, bell- or salver-shaped, the more or less expanded limb 5-lobed or -toothed, or almost entire, twisted and often plaited or folded in bud, the folds indicated in the expanded corolla by longitudinal lines or stripes

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 5, inserted in the base of the corolla-tube and alternating with its lobes; anthers 2-celled, splitting lengthwise

Disc

Disc ring-shaped or absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary superior, sessile, mostly 2–3-celled with solitary ovules or 1-celled with 4 ovules; style simple or forked, or styles 2; stigma capitate or 2-lobed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a usually 1–4-celled capsule, dehiscent or indehiscent, often more or less enclosed by the persistent calyx; seeds erect, glabrous or hairy, with scanty but hard endosperm.

Distribution

A nearly cosmopolitan family with about 50 genera and 1,800 species, particularly well represented in tropical America and Asia.

Convolvulaceae, Maria Leonor Gonçalves. Flora Zambesiaca 8:1. 1987

Morphology General Habit

Herbs or shrubs, rarely small trees, frequently twining or prostrate, less often erect, provided with diverse sorts of glandular and eglandular hairs, besides simple, 2-armed or stellate hairs

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, exstipulate, usually simple, entire or toothed to often lobed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers often large and showy, usually bracteate, axillary or terminal, solitary or in various inflorescences, almost always regular, bisexual save in a very few small genera, 5-merous as to the calyx, corolla and androecium (4-merous in Hildebrandtia)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals imbricate, sometimes unequal, generally free or connate at the base, often accrescent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla sympetalous, variable but often funnel-shaped or salver-shaped, entire or 4–5-lobed, induplicate-valvate or contorted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium

Stamens as many as and alternate with lobes or connate members of the corolla, inserted in the corolla tube; filaments often unequal; anthers tetrasporangiate or dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits; pollen smooth or spinulose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium

Ovary superior, entire or 2–4-lobed, of 2(3–5) carpels united, (1) 4 (3–5)-locular, usually with an annular nectary-disk around the base; styles 1–2 (3) mostly terminal; stigmas 1–4 variously shaped; ovules 2 per carpel (rarely many in Humbertia), basal or basal-axile, erect, anatropous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit usually dry, a loculicidal (or sometimes irregularly dehiscent) capsule, or less often indehiscent and baccate or nut-like

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1–4 (rarely 6 or 10) with endosperm; embryo large, straight or curved, with 2 plicate, often bifid cotyledons, embedded in a hard, often cartilaginous endosperm

Cuscutaceae, Maria Leonor Gonçalves. Flora Zambesiaca 8:1. 1987

Morphology General Habit

Twining parasitic, usually glabrous herbs, almost without chlorophyl, annual or rarely perennial in the tissues of the host, attached by means of numerous haustoria; free-living for a brief period after germination until attachment to the host is accomplished; hairs, when present, mostly unicellular or bicellular, not glandular

Morphology Stem

Stems usually terete and slender to filiform, often whitish, yellowish or reddish; the vascular system somewhat reduced, without internal phloem, and vessel segments with simple perforations

Morphology Leaves

Leaves reduced to minute scales or absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences lax or compact cymose clusters

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers small, sessile or shortly pedicelled, 5-merous or less often 4-merous, rarely 3-merous, as to the calyx, corolla and androecium

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx lobed or parted with sepals united at the base, each one with a single vascular trace

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla usually white or pink, lobed; lobes united into a tube at the base, shorter or longer than the tube, often patent or reflexed; the tube inside usually with a whorl of thin fringed scales opposite to and below the stamens

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium

Stamens inserted at the throat and alternating with the corolla-lobes; filaments often short; anthers often broadly elliptic, tetrasporangiate and dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits; pollen smooth

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium

Ovary 2 (3)-locular, each loculus with 2 ovules, erect on basal axile (or intruded-parietal) placentas, anatropous; base of the ovary at least sometimes nectariferous; styles 2, terminal, distinct or connate into a single column; stigmas capitate or linear

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit an ovoid or subglobose capsule, opening irregularly, or circumscissile near the base, or indehiscent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 4 or less, subglobose or angular, often granular, almost invariably glabrous; embryo scarcely differentiated, straight, filiform, sometimes enlarged at one end; cotyledons absent or rudimentary

Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Morphology General Habit

Herbaceous, stem -twining parasitic vines; root system very short lived; stem filiform, yellow, red or orange in colour

Morphology Leaves

Leaves reduced, spirally arranged, simple, sessile, scale-like, glabrous, mostly achlorophyllous; extra-floral nectaries sometimes present

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence axillary, cymose,  spicate or in heads

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers regularly symmetrical, bisexual, bracteate or not, disk present; sepals 3-5, imbricate, persistent ; petals 3-5, imbricate, gamopetalous; corona fimbriate, alternating with stamens; stamens 5(-10), adnate to and alternating with the petals; anthers adnately fixed or +/- versatile, dehiscing by full-length longitudinal slits; ovary superior, syncarpous, carpels 2, locules (1-)2(-4), styles 1-3, separate to connate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a long-beaked capsule (rarely indehiscent)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1-6, embryo coiled, acotyledonous.

Diagnostic

Key differences from similar families: Differs from Convolvulaceae in that Cuscuta L. is often chlorophyll-lacking and parastic, has a withering terrestrial root system which is short-lived, and no internal phloem. Has similarities with species of the genus Cassytha Miller of Lauraceae, such as its parasitic tendencies, but can be distinguished by Cassytha's greater numbers of floral parts. Distinguishing characters (always present): Brightly coloured stem -twining parasite. Terrestrial root system short-lived. Inflorescence axillary. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic. Perianth parts imbricate. Superiorovary. Seedlings acotyledonous.

Distribution

Native and introduced via shipments of commercial seed. Can be found throughout the Neotropics growing in mesophytic habitats - particularly along streams and in areas associated with anthropogenic ecosystems. Occasionally found in halophytic areas (Cuscuta salina Engelmann).

Note

Also known as Dodder and Devil's Guts, members of the Cuscutaceae are regarded as some of the worst weeds in the world. Attaching to their agricultural hosts through haustoria and twining around their victims they steal light and nutrients from valuable crops. Number of genera: One: Cuscuta, with approximately 50 species. Notes on delimitation: Commonly included as one of the twelve sub -families of the Convolvulaceae, including in the most recent angiosperm classification undertaken by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APGIII, 2009).