''Ipomoea'' () is the largest

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

in the plant family

Convolvulaceae Convolvulaceae (), commonly called the bindweed, bindweeds or morning glory, morning glories, is a Family (biology), family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species. These species are primarily herbaceous vines, but also include trees, sh ...

, with over 600

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

. It is a large and diverse group, with common names including

morning glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...

, water convolvulus or water spinach,

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...

bindweed Bindweed may refer to: * Some species of Convolvulaceae (bindweed family or morning glory family): ** ''Calystegia'' (bindweed, false bindweed, morning glory), a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants ** ''Convolvulus'' (bindweed, morning ...

, moonflower, etc. The genus occurs throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and comprises annual and

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s, and small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s; most of the species are twining climbing plants. Their most widespread common name is morning glory, but some species in related genera bear that same common name and some ''Ipomoea'' species are known by different common names. Those formerly separated in ''Calonyction'' (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

"good" and , , , "night") are called moonflowers. The name ''Ipomoea'' is derived from the Ancient Greek , meaning , and (), meaning "resembling". It refers to their twining habit.

Uses and ecology

Human uses of ''Ipomoea'' include: *Most species have small, colorful flowers, and are often grown as ornamentals, and a number of

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s have been developed. Their deep flowers attract large

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

– especially the

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as hornworms. It includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but species ar ...

, such as the pink-spotted hawk moth (''Agrius cingulata'') – or even

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...

s. *The genus includes

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

crops; the

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

s of

es (''I. batatas)'' and the leaves of water spinach (''I. aquatica'') are commercially important food items, and have been for millennia. The sweet potato is one of the

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

n " canoe plants", transplanted by settlers on islands throughout the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. Water spinach is used all over eastern Asia and the warmer regions of the Americas as a key component of well-known dishes, such as '' canh chua rau muống'' (Mekong sour soup) or

callaloo Callaloo ( , ; many spelling variants, such as kallaloo, calaloo, calalloo, calaloux, or callalloo) is a plant used in popular dishes in many Caribbean countries, while for other Caribbean countries, a stew made with the plant is called call ...

; its numerous local names attest to its popularity. Other species are used on a smaller scale, e.g. the whitestar potato ('' I. lacunosa'') traditionally eaten by some Native Americans, such as the

Chiricahua Chiricahua ( ) is a band of Apache Native Americans. Based in the Southern Plains and Southwestern United States, the Chiricahua historically shared a common area, language, customs, and intertwined family relations with their fellow Apaches. ...

Apaches The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

, or the Australian bush potato ('' I. costata''). The peduncles or seed pods of '' Ipomoea muricata'' are consumed as a delicacy in the Indian state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. * Peonidin, an

anthocyanidin Anthocyanidins are common plant pigments, the aglycones of anthocyanins. They are based on the flavylium cation, an oxonium ion, with various groups substituent, substituted for its hydrogen atoms. They generally change color from red through p ...

potentially useful as a

food additive Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives, such as vinegar ( pickling), salt ( salting), smoke ( smoking) and sugar ( crystallization), have been used f ...

, is present in significant quantities in the flowers of the 'Heavenly Blue' morning glory

. *''Ipomoea sepiaria'' is part of the Dashapushpam (Ten sacred flowers) in

and is known as "''Thiruthali''" in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

. *Moon vine ('' I. alba'') sap was used for

vulcanization Vulcanization (British English: vulcanisation) is a range of processes for hardening rubbers. The term originally referred exclusively to the treatment of natural rubber with sulfur, which remains the most common practice. It has also grown to ...

of the

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latices are found in nature, but synthetic latices are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a wikt:milky, milky fluid, which is present in 10% of all floweri ...

of ''

Castilla elastica ''Castilla elastica'', the Panama rubber tree, is a tree native to the tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It was the principal source of latex among the Mesoamerican peoples in pre-Columbian times. The latex g ...

'' (Panama rubber tree,

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

: ''olicuáhuitl'') to

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

; as it happens, the rubber tree seems well-suited for the vine to twine upon, and the two species are often found together. As early as 1600 BCE, the

Olmec The Olmecs () or Olmec were an early known major Mesoamerican civilization, flourishing in the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from roughly 1200 to 400 Before the Common Era, BCE during Mesoamerica's Mesoamerican chronolog ...

s produced the balls used in the

Mesoamerican ballgame The Mesoamerican ballgame (, , ) was a sport with ritual associations played since at least 1650 BC by the pre-Columbian people of Ancient Mesoamerica. The sport had different versions in different places during the millennia, and a modernized ...

. *The root called

John the Conqueror John the Conqueror, also known as High John the Conqueror, John, Jack, and many other folk variants, is a deity from the African-American spiritual system called hoodoo. Due to there being little early written information on the John the Conqu ...

in hoodoo and used in lucky and/or sexual

charm Charm or Charms may refer to: Arts and entertainment * The Charms, an American garage rock band * Otis Williams and the Charms, an American doo-wop group * The Charm (Bubba Sparxxx album), ''The Charm'' (Bubba Sparxxx album), 2006 * Charm (Danny! ...

s (though apparently not as a component of love potions, because it is a strong

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

if ingested) usually seems to be from '' I. jalapa''. The

testicle A testicle or testis ( testes) is the gonad in all male bilaterians, including humans, and is Homology (biology), homologous to the ovary in females. Its primary functions are the production of sperm and the secretion of Androgen, androgens, p ...

-like dried tubers are carried as

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word , which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects a perso ...

s and rubbed by the users to gain good luck in

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

flirting Flirting or coquetry is a social and sexual behavior involving body language, or spoken or written communication between humans. It is used to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with another person and for amusement. Flirting can chang ...

. As

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

wrote, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, in his song "Rub My Root" (a

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

version is titled "My John the Conquer Root"):

:My pistol may snap, my mojo is frail :But I rub my root, my luck will never fail :When I rub my root, my John the Conquer root :Aww, you know there ain't nothin' she can do, Lord, :I rub my John the Conquer root

As medicine and entheogen

Humans use ''Ipomoea'' spp. for their content of medical and

psychoactive A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, mind-altering drug, consciousness-altering drug, psychoactive substance, or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that alters psychological functioning by modulating central nervous system acti ...

compounds, mainly

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

s. Some species are renowned for their properties in

folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

and

herbalism Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...

; for example, Vera Cruz jalap ('' I. jalapa'') and Tampico jalap ('' I. simulans'') are used to produce

jalap Jalap is a cathartic drug, largely obsolete in Western medicine, consisting of the tuberous roots of '' Ipomoea purga'', a convolvulaceous plant growing on the eastern declivities of the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico at an elevation of above ...

, a

cathartic In medicine, a cathartic is a substance that ''accelerates'' defecation. This is similar to a laxative, which is a substance that ''eases'' defecation, usually by softening feces. It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a cathar ...

preparation accelerating the passage of stool. '' Kiribadu ala'' (giant potato, ''I. mauritiana'') is one of the many ingredients of '' chyawanprash'', the ancient

Ayurvedic Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

tonic called "the elixir of life" for its wide-ranging properties. The leaves of ''I. batatas'' are eaten as a vegetable, and have been shown to slow oxygenation of LDLs, with some similar potential health benefits to green tea and grape polyphenols. Other species were and still are used as potentially potent

entheogen Entheogens are psychoactive substances used in spiritual and religious contexts to induce altered states of consciousness. Hallucinogens such as the psilocybin found in so-called "magic" mushrooms have been used in sacred contexts since ancie ...

s. Seeds of Mexican morning glory (''tlitliltzin, I. tricolor'') were thus used by

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

s and Zapotecs in

shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

istic and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

rituals, and at least by the former also as a poison, to give the victim a " horror trip" (see also Aztec entheogenic complex). Beach moonflower (''I. violacea'') was also used thusly, and the

s called 'Heavenly Blue', touted today for their psychoactive properties, seem to represent an indeterminable assembly of hybrids of these two species. Ergin - Ergine

Ergoline Ergoline is a core structure in many alkaloids and their synthetic derivatives. Ergoline alkaloids were first characterized in ergot. Some of these are implicated in the condition of ergotism, which can take a convulsive form or a gangrenous for ...

derivatives (

lysergamides Lysergamides, also known as ergoamides or as lysergic acid amides, are amides of lysergic acid (LA). They are ergolines, with some lysergamides being found natural product, naturally in ergot as well as other fungi. Lysergamides are notable in c ...

) are probably responsible for the entheogenic activity.

Ergine Ergine, also known as lysergic acid amide (LSA or LAA) as well as LA-111, is a psychoactive compound of the ergoline and lysergamide families related to lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Ergine is an ergoline alkaloid found in fungi such as ...

(LSA), isoergine, D-lysergic acid N-(α-hydroxyethyl)amide and lysergol have been isolated from ''I. tricolor'', ''I. violacea'' and/or purple morning glory (''I. purpurea''); although these are often assumed to be the cause of the plants' effects, this is not supported by scientific studies, which show although they are

, they are not notably

hallucinogen Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, entheogens, or historically as psychotomimetics, are a large and diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mo ...

ic.

Alexander Shulgin Alexander Theodore "Sasha" Shulgin (June 17, 1925 – June 2, 2014) was an American biochemist, broad researcher of synthetic psychoactive compounds, and author of works regarding these, who independently explored the organic chemistry and ph ...

in ''

TiHKAL ''TiHKAL: The Continuation'' is a 1997 book written by Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin about a family of psychoactive drugs known as tryptamines. A sequel to '' PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story'', ''TiHKAL'' is an acronym that stands for "Trypt ...

'' suggests ergonovine is responsible, instead. It has verified psychoactive properties, though as yet other undiscovered lysergamides possibly are present in the seeds. Though most often noted as "recreational" drugs, the

are also of medical importance. Ergonovine enhances the action of

oxytocin Oxytocin is a peptide hormone and neuropeptide normally produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary. Present in animals since early stages of evolution, in humans it plays roles in behavior that include Human bonding, ...

, used to still '' post partum'' bleeding. Ergine induces drowsiness and a relaxed state, so might be useful in treating

anxiety disorder Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal functions are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause phys ...

. Whether ''Ipomoea'' species are useful sources of these compounds remains to be determined. In any case, in some jurisdictions, certain ''Ipomoea'' are regulated, e.g. by the Louisiana State Act 159, which bans cultivation of ''I. violacea'' except for ornamental purposes.

Pests and diseases

Many

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat ...

s avoid morning glories such as ''Ipomoea'', as the high

content makes these plants unpalatable, if not

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

. Nonetheless, ''Ipomoea'' species are used as food plants by the

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s of certain

(butterflies and moths). For a selection of diseases of the sweet potato (''I. batatas''), many of which also infect other members of this genus, see List of sweet potato diseases.

Pollination

The species of ''Ipomoea'' interfere with each other's pollination. Pollen from different species compete in each other's reproductive processes, imposing a fitness cost.

Gallery

File:Sweet potato flower.jpg, ''

Ipomoea batatas The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the ...

'' (sweet potato) flower File:Ipomoea lacunosa1.jpg, Whitestar potato '' Ipomoea lacunosa'' File:MorningGlory5.jpg, Whitestar potato ('' I. lacunosa'') File:Ipomoea carnea.jpg, '' Ipomoea carnea'' in Brazil File:Ipomoea-barbatisepala.jpg, '' I. barbatisepala'' File:Ipomoea cairica (2).jpg, '' Ipomoea cairica'' File:Wild Morning Glory -- Ipomoea cordatotriloba.jpg, '' Ipomoea cordatotriloba'' File:Starr 050530-7136 Ipomoea indica.jpg, '' Ipomoea indica'' File:Ipomoea macrantha.jpg, ''

Ipomoea macrantha ''Ipomoea'' () is the largest genus in the plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 600 species. It is a large and diverse group, with common names including morning glory, water convolvulus or water spinach, sweet potato, bindweed, moo ...

'' File:Ipomoea marginata in Hyderabad W IMG 4988.jpg, '' Ipomoea marginata'' File:Ipomoea mauritiana-IMG 5508.jpg, '' Ipomoea mauritiana'' File:Ipomoea nil.jpg, Purple cultivar of '' Ipomoea indica'' File:Starr 070111-3107 Ipomoea obscura.jpg, ''

Ipomoea obscura The ''Ipomoea obscura,'' commonly known as the obscure morning glory or the small white morning glory, is a species of the genus ''Ipomoea.'' It is an invasive species native to parts of Africa, Asia, and certain Pacific Islands. While the plant's ...

'' File:Wild Potato Vine - Ipomoea pandurata, Meadowood Farm SRMA, Mason Neck, Virginia.jpg, '' Ipomoea pandurata'' File:Ipomoea pes-caprae - flower view 01.jpg, '' Ipomoea pes-caprae'' in China File:Ipomoea purpurea (Convolvulaceae) flower 1.JPG, ''

Ipomoea purpurea ''Ipomoea purpurea'', the common morning-glory, tall morning-glory, or purple morning glory, is a species in the genus ''Ipomoea'', native to Mexico and Central America. Description Like all morning glories, the plant entwines itself around stru ...

'' File:Saltmarsh Morning-glory (Ipomoea sagittata) - Sanibel Island, FL, USA 03.jpg, '' Ipomoea sagittata'' in Florida File:Ипомея. Восточная Сибирь.jpg, ''

'', Eastern Siberia File:Campanitas (in Spanish) (4352689627).jpg, '' Ipomoea campanulata'', India.

References

External links

*
Fine Gardening: Morning glories and more
{{Authority control Convolvulaceae genera Medicinal plants Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Taxa described in 1753