Merremia palmata Hallier F.

Species

Angiosperms > Solanales > Convolvulaceae > Merremia

Characteristics

Glabrous, prostrate or occasionally twining, perennial herb. Stems herbaceous, up to 2.5 m long, sulcate and/or ribbed to almost winged. Leaves deeply palmately 5-9-lobed (lowest lobes sometimes unequally forked); lobes narrowly linear to oblanceolate, acute or obtuse, mucronate, 1-16 mm x 5-60 mm; petiole 12-25 mm long, slender. Inflorescence solitary or occasionally cymosely 2-or 3-flowered; peduncle 10-65 mm long, slender; bracteoles small, linear; pedicels 5-30 mm long, somewhat thicker upwards. Sepals subequal, pale yellowish green, elliptic with rounded apex, glabrous, coriaceous with a membranous edge, 7-10 mm long. Corolla pale or sulphur-yellow with deep red, maroon or deep magenta centre, 20-30 mm long, broadly funnel-shaped with spreading 30-40 mm wide, faintly lobed limb; midpetaline areas sparsely pubescent towards apex. Style linear with membranous winged edges. Capsule usually distinctly exserted from calyx, globose-or ovoid-conical, 8-12 mm long and 8-10 mm wide, glabrous, pale yellowish.
More
Perennial herb; stems glabrous, very slightly winged, trailing or twining, up to 2 m. long.. Leaf-blade very deeply palmately 5-lobed, with the two lowest lobes sometimes unequally forked, in outline 1–7 cm. long and 1–6 cm. wide, glabrous; lobes linear to lanceolate, 0.8–6 cm. long, 0.1–1.6 cm. wide, acute or blunt, mucronulate; petiole channelled, 0.9–2.5 cm. long.. Peduncle usually 1-flowered but rarely up to 6-flowered, 4.5–7.5 cm. long; pedicels 0.5–3 cm. long; bracts small, linear.. Sepals subequal, elliptic, rounded above, 8–10 mm. long and 6–8 mm. wide, glabrous, with membranous edges.. Corolla lemon-yellow or greenish-cream, often with a brown, claret or purple centre, funnel-shaped, (1.5–)3 cm. long; midpetaline areas glabrous to strigose above.. Capsule subglobose, straw-coloured, glabrous, about 10 mm. in diameter.. Seeds globose, 5 mm. in diameter, blackish, shortly pubescent.
A creeping herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It can lie along the ground or be twining. It can be 2.5 m long. It has a taproot. The leaves have leaflets in a ring spread out like fingers on a hand. The flowers are pale yellow with a red centre. They are funnel shaped and 2-3 cm long. The often occur singly in the axils of the leaves. The fruit is an oval capsule. There are 4 seeds.
Prostrate or twining perennial herb. Leaf lamina 5-9-lobed; lobes linear to lanceolate, up to 70 x 14 mm. Sepals 8-12 mm long. Corolla 20-30 mm long. Bracts small, linear. Capsule papyraceous. Flowers pale yellow or sulphur-yellow with deep red, maroon or deep magenta centre.
Corolla pale yellow or sulphur-yellow with a deep red, maroon or deep magenta centre, up to 3 cm. long, broadly funnel-shaped; limb faintly lobed, spreading; midpetaline areas sparsely pubescent towards the apex.
Leaf lamina deeply palmately 5–7 (9)-lobed (lower most lobes sometimes unequally forked); lobes narrowly linear to lanceolate, acute or obtuse, mucronulate, 0·8–7 × 0·3–1·4 cm.; petiole 1·2–2·5 cm. long, slender.
Inflorescence solitary or occasionally cymosely 2–3 flowered; peduncle 1–6·5 cm. long, slender; bracts small, linear; pedicels 0·5–2·5 cm. long, somewhat thicker upwards.
Capsule usually distinctly exserted from the calyx, globose or ovoid-conical, glabrous, pale yellowish green turning straw-coloured, valves papyraceous.
Sepals subequal, pale yellowish green, elliptic with rounded apex, glabrous, coriaceous with a membranous edge up to 10 mm. long.
Seeds dark greyish brown to black, rather dull, glabrous, nearly smooth to distinctly rugose.
Stems herbaceous up to 2–5 m. long, sulcate and/or ribbed to almost winged.
Glabrous, prostrate or occasionally twining perennial herb.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support climber
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) -
Root system tap-root
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in places with a marked dry season. It grows in well-drained sands and clays. It grows between 120-1,450 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.
Light -
Soil humidity 1-3
Soil texture 5-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The leaves are cooked and eaten. The water is changed several times to remove the sour taste. The roots are chewed raw for their water.
Uses food
Edible leaves roots
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Merremia palmata unspecified picture

Distribution

Merremia palmata world distribution map, present in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Pakistan, eSwatini, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:270555-1
WFO ID wfo-0001297667
COL ID 73B8T
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Merremia palmata