CONVOLVULACEAE
Morphological description
Climbers with milky sap. Echlorophyllose, parasitic climber (Cuscuta); shrubs or trees (some Ipomoea and some Erycibe); herbaceous annuals (Cressa, Dichondra, Evolvulus)
Leaves
Leaves simple, spiral, usually palminerved, entire; exstipulate.
Flowers
Flower actinomorphic, usually large, 5-merous with mid petaline band; sepals free, corolla tubular, ovary superior, ovary 2-celled, 2 ovules per cell. Leaves densely silky or brown pubescent (Argyreia). Flowers yellow (Merremia).
Fruit
Fruit a capsule. Fruit winged (by accrescent bract) (Neuropeltis, Neuropeltopsis), (by accrescent sepals) (Porana); fruit a berry (Argyreia, Erycibe).
Seed
Endosperm ruminate (Erycibe).
Different from: Apocynaceae: leaves usually opposite.
Distribution: The family worldwide. In Malesia c. 20 genera, most species in open places, disturbed forest, road sides, abandoned gardens including : - Argyreia (Indo-Malesia), climbers, primary + secondary forest; - Erycibe (Indo-Malesia), predominantly climbers, mostly lowland rain forest; - Ipomoea (pantropical), nearly all climbers, mostly disturbed lowland rain forest; - Merremia (pantropical), climbers, mostly disturbed lowland rain forest.
Notes: Many useful plants; ornamentals: Ipomoea, Porana. - Edible tubers or leaves: Ipomoea. - Medicinal plants: Merremia. Literature: S. J. van Ooststroom, Fl. Males. I, 4 (1953) 388-512; ibid. I, 5 (1958) 558-564; ibid. I, 7 (1972) 936-941.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Convolvulaceae 19 - Cuscuta 5, 7, 11, 82 - Dichondra 51, 91 - Erycibe 5, 17, 25, 27, 39, 81, 88, 105 - Ipomoea 5, 25 - Jacquemontia 5, 25, 59 - Merremia 5, 48; M. peltata 51 - Neuropeltis 98 - Neuropeltopsis 74, 98 - Operculina 5 - Porana 5, 98 - Stictocardia 31.
Illustrations: Fig. 52. Ipomoea alba L. (Convolvulaceae). Flowering branch and unripe capsule (enlarged). Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 4 (1953) 480. Fig. 53. Argyreia crispa Ooststr. (Convolvulaceae). Fruiting branch and fruit. Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 4 (1953) 511, fig. 1a. Fig. 54. Erycibe griffithii Clarke (Convolvulaceae). a. Flowering branch; b. corolla lobes from inside; c. fruit; d. fruit in longitudinal section; e. idem in transverse section. Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 4 (1953) 411, fig. 13. a b c d e. Fig. 55. Evolvulus alsinoides (L.) L. var. decumbens (R. Br.) Ooststr. (Convolvulaceae). Habit. Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 4 (1953) 397, fig. 5. Fig. 56. Merremia gemella (Burm. f.) Hall. f. (Convolvulaceae). Reproduced from C.A. Backer, Weed Flora of Javanese Sugar-cane fields, Atlas pt 16 (1973) t. 494.
Image in PhytoImages for Convolvulaceae