Ipomoea nil (L.) Roth

Roth, A.W. (1797) Catalecta Botanica fasc. 1 : 36.

Native Morning Glory; Whiteedge morning Glory; Kaladana

A slender vine not exceeding a stem diameter of 2 cm.

Leaf blades usually 3-lobed (lobes pointed) about 3-11.5 x 4-12 cm, petioles about 1.5-10 cm long. Lateral veins about 5-7 on each side on the midrib. Upper surface of the leaf blade densely clothed in appressed simple hairs, lower surface clothed in short and long appressed simple hairs. Numerous pale glands usually visible on the upper surface of the leaf blade. Twigs and petioles densely clothed in bristly hairs.

Inflorescence a 3-flowered cyme sometimes reduced to a solitary flower. Flowers about 20-25 mm diam., peduncles about 30-50 mm long, pedicels about 6 mm long, bracts linear, about 8 mm long. Sepals about 18-22 x 4-5 mm, outer sepals densely clothed in long bristly hairs. Corolla about 40-50 mm long, trumpet-shaped, throat white, flared section blue. Anther filaments about 22 mm long, sparsely clothed in hairs towards the base, attached to the corolla tube about 10 mm from the base. Style about 20 mm long. Stigma globular or lobed, granular or papillose. Ovules 2 per locule.

Fruits globose, about 9-10 mm diam. Calyx persistent at the base of the fruit, sepals about 15 mm long and clothed in long bristly hairs. Style remnants about 5 mm long, persistent at the apex of the fruit. Seeds about 5-8 x 4 mm, clothed in short pale hairs. Cotyledons contorted and folded with endosperm intruding into the gaps. Radicle about 3 mm long.

Cotyledons bilobed, about 2-2.5 x 2-2.5 cm, base cordate, petioles about 1-1.5 cm long. Midrib branched, not extending to the apex, i.e. the notch of the cotyledon. First leaves cordate, both the upper and lower surfaces clothed in bristly hairs. Margin entire on the first leaf but toothed or shallowly lobed on the second leaf. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade cordate, apex acuminate, base cordate, margin with one large pointed lobe on each side. Venation palmate, midrib raised on the upper surface. Both the upper and lower leaf blade surfaces clothed in spreading hairs. Exudate cloudy. Stems twining, densely clothed in backward-pointing, whitish hairs. Seed germination time 28 to 122 days.

Occurs in WA, NT, CYP, NEQ, CEQ and southwards as far as south-eastern Queensland. Altitudinal range in northern Queensland from near sea level to 900 m. Grows in vine thicket, monsoon forest, beach forest and agricultural land. A pantropic species occurring in most tropical areas.