Convolvulaceae
Ipomoea

Ipomoea quamoclit L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 159 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mexico to Central America. It is a climbing annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used as animal food, a poison and a medicine, has environmental uses and social uses and for food.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
A glabrous twiner, cultivated like the last (Ipomoea muricata).
[FWTA]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean, Guiana Shield, Caribbean, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–1500 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Antioquia, Caldas, Casanare, Cauca, Chocó, Cundinamarca, Guainía, Guaviare, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Putumayo, Quindío, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Climbing.
Conservation
National Red List of Colombia (2021): Potential LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1500 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Trepadora
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Wood, J.R.I., Carine, M.A., Harris, D. et al. 2015. Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in Bolivia. Kew Bulletin 70: 31. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-015-9592-7

Ecology
Widely cultivated and sometimes naturalised throughout the tropics. In Bolivia scattered throughout the tropical lowlands south to the Santa Cruz area. Most records are certainly of cultivated plants, but it is occasionally naturalised as around villages north of Santa Rosa de la Roca and probably elsewhere. The cited localities show a strong preference for the humid lowlands and do not reflect its frequency as a cultivated plant.
Conservation
Least concern (LC).
Note
Found in flower in most months of the year.
Type
Type: India, Herb. Clifford 66, Ipomoea 1 (BM -000558077), designated by Biju 2002 [publ. 2003]: 755)
Morphology General Habit
Twining annual herb, plant completely glabrous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves shortly petiolate, 1 – 7 (– 9) × 0.8 – 7 cm, ovate-elliptic in outline, deeply pinnatifid to the main vein, the segments linear, acute, mostly 8 – 15 pairs; petioles 0.5 – 3 (– 4.5) cm, often with pseudostipules at base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of 1 (– 5)-flowered axillary, pedunculate cymes; peduncles 1 – 5 (– 14) cm; bracteoles elliptic, c. 1 mm long; pedicels 8 – 20 mm, swollen upwards; sepals slightly unequal, oblong-elliptic, obtuse and very shortly mucronate, the mucro < 1 mm long, margins scarious, the outer 4 – 6 × 2 – 3 mm, the inner c. 1 mm longer; corolla usually red, hypocrateriform, the tube 2 – 3 cm long, widened upwards, the limb c. 2 cm diam., deeply lobed with acute lobes; stamens exserted
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule ovoid, 7 – 9 mm long, rostrate, glabrous; seeds c. 5 mm, rostrate with hairs in patches.
[KBu]

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

Morphology General Habit
A slender, glabrous, annual twiner; leaves oblong to ovate in outline, 4–9 cm long, pinnately divided into linear segments mostly 1 mm wide or less, a small finely divided accessory leaf resembling a stipule arising at the base of each regular leaf
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
Peduncles 1–6- flowered; sepals 4–6 mm long, mucronulate; corolla 2.5–4 cm long with flat, lobate limb. Ovary 4-celled
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsules ovoid, ca. 10 mm long.
Distribution
Cayman Brac. Southeastern U. S. A., West Indies and continental tropical America, introduced in the Old World tropics.
Ecology
The Cayman Brac specimens were found in roadside thickets.
[Cayman]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
batatilla, cundeamor, sombra
[UNAL]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Poisons
Poisons.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Bulletin

    • Kew Bulletin
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0