Characteristics
A creeping vine or shrub. It keeps growing from year to year. The leaves are larger and softer than Ipomoea costata and more pointed at the end. The stems are weak and trailing and spread along the ground for 4 m. They are branched. The leaves are 5-18 cm long by 3-9 cm wide. They are oval or heart shaped. The leaf stalks are 5-10 cm long. One to five flowers occur together. Flowers are 7-10 cm across and a bright pink with dark bands. The fruit capsule is 1-1.5 cm across. There are 4 seeds which do not have many hairs. The tubers are large and rounded. Tubers can be 2.5 m from the base of the plant and 40 cm below the surface.
| Life form |
-
|
| Growth form |
herb
|
| Growth support |
-
|
| Foliage retention |
-
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| Sexuality |
hermaphrodite
|
| Pollination |
-
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| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
-
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| Mature height (meter) |
-
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| Root system |
-
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| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
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| Root diameter (meter) |
-
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| Flower color |
-
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| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
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| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
It is a tropical or subtropical plant. It can tolerate drought. Plants can tolerate fire. It requires an open sunny position and a well drained soil. It can tolerate light frosts. It can grow in arid places.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
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| Soil acidity |
-
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| Soil nutriment |
-
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| Hardiness (USDA) |
-
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Usage
The tubers are eaten cooked.
| Uses |
-
|
| Edible
|
roots
tubers
|
| Therapeutic use
|
-
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| Human toxicity |
-
|
| Animal toxicity |
-
|
Cultivation
It can be grown from seed, cuttings or tubers.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
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| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
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| Germination luminosity |
-
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| Germination treatment |
-
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| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
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| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
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