Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands 173
Status: Exotic, naturalized.
Distribution: Common in southwestern Puerto
Rico. Also on Desecheo, Vieques, St. Croix, St.
John, St. Thomas, and Tortola; native to Mexico
but found distributed throughout the tropics.
Public forest: Boquerón and Guánica.
12. Ipomoea ochracea (Lindl.) G. Don, Gen. Hist.
4: 270. 1838.
Fig. 68. A-C
BASIONYM: Convolvulus ochraceus Lindl.
Slightly woody vine, twining, attaining 5 m
in length, with scarce watery latex. Stems
cylindrical, slender, pubescent. Leaves alternate;
blades simple, 3-10 × 2.5-7.5 cm, ovate,
chartaceous, glabrous except for some hairs on
the veins, the apex acuminate and usually
mucronate, the base cordiform, the margins entire
or sinuate; upper and lower surface with the veins
slightly prominent, the lower surface usually
glaucous; petioles 2-6 cm long, pubescent.
Flowers solitary or in double dichasia, axillary;
peduncles slightly longer than the petioles; bracts
ovate, ca. 1.6 mm long. Calyx green, not
accrescent, of 5 subequal sepals, 5-7 mm long,
chartaceous, ovate or oblong-ovate, glabrous,
punctate; corolla pale yellow, with the base of the
tube purple inside, infundibuliform, 3-4 cm long,
the limb with 5 shallow, rounded lobes; stamens
and stigmas white, not exserted. Capsule ovoid,
glabrous, with a thin pericarp, 1.3-1.6 cm long,
stramineous, with the sepals persistent, not
accrescent at the base; seeds 4 per fruit, 4-5 mm
long, black, dull, glabrous.
Phenology: Collected in flower and fruit from
December to February.
Status: Exotic, naturalized.
Distribution: Common in southwestern Puerto
Rico. Also on St. Croix and St. John; probably
native to tropical Africa, widely cultivated
throughout the tropics.
Public forests: Guánica, Maricao, and Susúa.
13. Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R. Br. in Tuckey,
Narr. Exped. Zaire 477. 1818.
Fig. 68. G-H
BASIONYM: Convolvulus pes-caprae L.
Bejuco de puerco playero, Beach moning glory,
Goat foot
Vine, creeping or sometimes ascending, up to
10 m in length, with scarce milky latex. Stems
cylindrical, glabrous, woody in the older portions,
the young portions herbaceous, producing
adventitious roots in the area of the nodes. Leaves
alternate; blades simple, 6.5-12 × 4-7.3 cm,
oblong, reniform to subrounded, coriaceous,
glabrous, the apex emarginate and mucronate, the
base rounded, cordiform, or truncate, the margins
entire; upper surface with the veins flat, scarcely
visible; lower surface with the veins slightly
prominent; petioles 3-8 cm long, glabrous, thick,
slightly compressed on the upper surface, swollen
at the base. Flowers solitary or in simple dichasia,
axillary; peduncles shorter than the petioles;
bracts subulate, ca. 5 mm long. Calyx yellowish
green, not accrescent, the sepals unequal, 1.2-1.4
cm long, coriaceous, ovate, the apex rounded and
mucronate; corolla pink or lavender,
infundibuliform, 4.5-5 cm long, the limb up to 6
cm in diameter, with 5 rounded lobes; stamens
and stigmas not exserted. Capsule ovoid to
globose, 1.5-1.8 cm long, light brown, with a thin
pericarp and with the sepals persistent and
reflexed at the base; seeds 4 per fruit, ca. 8 mm
long, dark brown, pubescent, with two sides flat
and one convex.
Phenology: Flowering and fruiting throughout
the year.
Status: Native, very common.
Distribution: On the sandy coasts of the littoral
zone, probably on all the islands and keys of
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. A pantropical
species, very common on the sandy coasts of the
littoral zone.
Public forests: Guánica, Mona, and Piñones.
14. Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth, Bot. Abh. 27.
1787.
Fig. 68. D-F
BASIONYM: Convolvulus purpureus L.
Herbaceous vine, twining, 2-3 m in length.
Stems cylindrical, slender, pilose or hirsute.
Leaves alternate; blades simple, 2-10 × 2-10 cm,
cordiform or deeply trilobed, the lobes ovate or
lanceolate, chartaceous, strigulose on both
surfaces, the apex acuminate, the base cordiform,
the margins entire or slightly sinuate, ciliate;
upper and lower surface with the veins slightly