Common Name: Moonflower

General Information

Ipomoea alba is a short-lived perennial or biennial species[]. A climbing plant, supporting itself by twining around the branches of other plants[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is often grown as an ornamental, where it quickly can provide a temporary screen or barrier.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Throughout tropical America from Brazil and northern Argentina to Mexico, Florida and the Caribbean. Naturalized throughout the Tropics.

Habitat

Wet forests, watercourses and disturbed areas in China[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial Climber
Height	10.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ipomoea alba is a plant mainly of tropical climes, also growing in subtropical areas and cultivated as an annual in temperate regions. It is not very cold-hardy, tolerating occasional temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[]. Another report says that plants need a minimum temperature of 5°c if they are to overwinter successfully[].
Requires a fertile well-drained loam in a warm sunny position[].
A fast-growing climbing plant, it is best grown as a temporary screen in the garden or along the boundary edge[]. Plants need a long period of growth to reach flowering size[].
The plant forms tubercles (baby tubers) on the stems and can be propagated by them[].
The aromatic flowers open of a night time[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves and fleshy calyces - cooked. Steamed and eaten as a vegetable or used in curries, soups, stews etc[]. They can also be dried for later use[].

Seed - eaten when young[].

Medicinal

The whole herb is used in treating snakebite[].

Other Uses

The milky juice (sap?) is used to coagulate the latex of Castilla elastica[].

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water, or scarify the seed, and sow in individual pots in a greenhouse in early spring. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 weeks at 22°c. Plants are extremely resentful of root disturbance, even when they are quite small, and should be potted up almost as soon as they germinate[]. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter then plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of side shoots in a peaty soil.
Layering.
Plants form tubercles on their stems[]. These can be stored overwinter in a slightly moist medium such as sand or leafmould, keeping them in a cool but frost-free place. Pot them up in early spring.

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