''Ipomoea violacea'' is a perennial species of ''

Ipomoea ''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, moonflo ...

'' that occurs throughout the world with the exception of the European continent. It is most commonly called beach moonflower or sea moonflower as the flowers open at night.

Description

The corolla of the flower of ''Ipomoea violacea'' is white, distinguishing this species from ''

Ipomoea tricolor ''Ipomoea tricolor'', the Mexican morning glory or just morning glory, is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, native to the New World tropics, and widely cultivated and naturalised elsewhere. It is an herbaceous annual or ...

'', commonly called ''Heavenly Blue''. It is sometimes mistaken for the

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

''Pearly Gates'', the corolla of which is also white, probably because of its misleading Latin binomial name, ''Ipomoea violacea'', "violacea" meaning purple.

Comparative taxonomies

A comparison of the taxonomy of the two plants shows that they belong to different

Subgenera In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

, consequently, ''Ipomoea violacea'' should not be used as a synonym for ''Ipomoea tricolor''. In exceptional cases where ''Ipomoea violacea'' has to be used as a synonym of ''Ipomoea tricolor'', one must specify the incorrect usage by using the abbreviation 'Auct.' for ''Auctorum''. ''Ipomoea violacea:'' :* Genus: ''Ipomoea'' ::*Subgenus: ''Eriospermum'' :::*Section: ''Erpipomoea'' ''Ipomoea tricolor:'' :*Genus: ''Ipomoea'' ::*Subgenus: ''Quamoclit'' :::*Section: ''Tricolor''

LSA presence

The Native Americans of Mexico are known to have long used the seeds of species of ''Ipomoea'' for preparing psychedelic infusions; several scientific studies indicate they contain several

ergoline Ergoline is a chemical compound whose structural skeleton is contained in a variety of alkaloids, referred to as ergoline derivatives or ergoline alkaloids. Ergoline alkaloids, one being ergine, were initially characterized in ergot. Some of thes ...

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

s with effects somewhat similar to, but weaker than, those of

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

It is possible that some of these studies may have mistaken ''Ipomoea violacea'' for ''

'', e.g., works published in the scientific journal ''Phytochemistry'' and quoted by the ''Sociedade Brasileira de Farmacognosia'', which purportedly showed the presence of

Ergine Ergine, also known as d-lysergic acid amide (LSA) and d-lysergamide, is an ergoline alkaloid that occurs in various species of vines of the Convolvulaceae and some species of fungi. The psychedelic properties in the seeds of ololiuhqui, Hawai ...

, also known as d-lysergic acid amide (LSA) in ''Ipomoea violacea''. The discoverer of

Albert Hofmann Albert Hofmann (11 January 1906 – 29 April 2008) was a Swiss chemist known for being the first to synthesize, ingest, and learn of the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Hofmann's team also isolated, named and synthesiz ...

, himself misleads the reader in his book ''Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers'' by describing ''Ipomoea tricolor'' (the flower shown in the book is clearly one of ''Ipomoea tricolor'', heavenly blue), but is labeled as ''Ipomoea violacea''. As specified in the upper section of its description, ''Ipomoea violacea's'' corolla is white only. Because studies on the presence of LSA in ''Ipomoea violacea'' do not specify the complete taxonomy of the plant, it cannot be certain that ''Ipomoea violacea'' contains

d-lysergic acid amide Ergine, also known as d-lysergic acid amide (LSA) and d-lysergamide, is an ergoline alkaloid that occurs in various species of vines of the Convolvulaceae and some species of fungi. The psychedelic properties in the seeds of ololiuhqui, Hawaiian ...

. As of 2016, only ''Ipomoea tricolor'' is proved to contain LSA in its seeds.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q135689 violacea Night-blooming plants Pantropical flora Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus