Common Name:

General Information

Ipomoea murucoides is a deciduous tree with a low, spreading crown, commonly growing about 5 - 9 metres tall[]. The trees are conspicuous because of their white boles and branches, which look as if they had been used as roosting places by birds[]. The abundant large white flowers are very handsome, and the trees are strangely unlike most members of the morning-glory family[]. The flowers apparently remain open all day long and, once open, probably do not close until they wither[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use in making soap, it is also often grown as a hedge[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Central America - Guatemala to Mexico.

Habitat

Brushy, open, dry, often rocky slopes or plains or in open dry forest, frequently in hedges, or in oak forest at elevations of 600 - 2,000 metres[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	7.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

Often planted for living fence posts or for hedges[]

Other Uses

The ashes of the plant are used as a soap for washing clothes[]. It is said that the ashes of this tree make the best lye for soap-making[].

Propagation

Seed -

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