''Ipomoea lobata'', the fire vine, firecracker vine or Spanish flag
(formerly ''Mina lobata''), is a
species of
flowering plant in the
family Convolvulaceae, native to Mexico and Brazil.
Growing to tall, ''Ipomoea lobata'' is a
perennial climber often cultivated in temperate regions as an
annual. It has toothed and lobed leaves (hence ''lobata'') and one-sided racemes of flowers, opening red and fading to yellow, cream and white. These colours are graded down the length of the flower spike. The effect is like a firework, hence one of its popular names "firecracker vine". The colours vaguely resemble the red and gold of Spain's national flag, hence its other common name "Spanish flag".
''Ipomoea lobata'' requires a minimum temperature of , and a warm, sheltered spot in full sun (either equatorial-facing or west-facing). It has gained the
Royal Horticultural Society's
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
It is closely related to two other popular, award-winning climbing plants, ''
Ipomoea indica
''Ipomoea indica'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, known by several common names, including blue morning glory, oceanblue morning glory, ''koali awa'', and blue dawn flower. It bears heart-shaped or 3-lobed leaves an ...
'' (blue dawn flower) and ''
Ipomoea tricolor'' (morning glory).
The name "Spanish flag" is also used for ''
Lantana camara'', an ornamental shrub.
Lantana camara: descubre una flor irresistible para tu jardín
References
*
External links
''Ipomoea versicolor''
photos
''Flora Brasiliensis'': ''Ipomoea versicolor''
lobata
Lobata is an order of Ctenophora in the class Tentaculata with smaller tentacles than other ctenophores, and distinctive flattened lobes extending outwards from their bodies.
They grow up to about long.
Anatomy
The lobates have a pair of lo ...
Flora of Brazil
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