五爪金龙 wu zhao jin long

Herbs perennial, twining, with a tuberous root; axial parts ?glabrous. Stems to 5 m, thinly angular, ± tuberculate or smooth. Petiole 2-8 cm, base with leafy pseudostipules; leaf blade palmately 5-parted to base; lobes entire or minutely undulate, apex acute or obtuse, mucronulate, basal pair usually again lobed or parted; middle lobe larger, ovate, ovate-lanceolate, or elliptic, (2.5-)4-5 X (0.5-)2-2.5 cm. Inflorescences 1- or several flowered; peduncle 2-8 cm; bracts and bracteoles early deciduous, squamiform, small. Pedicel 0.5-2 cm, sometimes verruculose. Sepals unequal; outer 2 sepals 4-6.5 mm; inner ones 5-9 mm, glabrous, abaxially ± verruculose, margin paler, scarious. Corolla pink, purple, or reddish purple, with a darker center, rarely white, funnelform, (2.5-)5-7 cm. Stamens included, unequal. Ovary glabrous. Stigma 2-lobed. Capsule ± globose, ca. 1 cm. Seeds black, ca. 5 mm, densely tomentose, margin with longer hairs. 2n = 30*.

Origin unknown, now distributed nearly pantropically: Africa, Asia, Pacific Islands, South America

Lower Taxa

• Ipomoea cairica var. cairica
• Ipomoea cairica var. gracillima (Collett & Hemsley) C. Y. Wu