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Ipomoea pileata

Roxb.

Grassland ipomoea

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

(c) Bart Wursten, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Bart Wursten

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

(c) Bart Wursten, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Bart Wursten

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

(c) Bart Wursten, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Bart Wursten

Description

An annual herb. It can have a thick tap-root. The stems are 1-2 m long. The leaf blades are oval and 12.5 cm long by 10 cm wide. The flowers are funnel shaped and white to pink are darker in the tube. Several flowers occur in a group. The fruit is a round capsule 5 mm across.

Edible Uses

The tubers and roots are eaten, traditionally as a famine food.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in sandy soils between 300-1,530 m above sea level. In Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Asia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Central Africa, China, Congo, East Africa, Eswatini, Gambia, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Philippines, SE Asia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Thailand, Vietnam, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Other Information

A famine food.

Synonyms

Convolvulus perfoliatus Schumach. & Thonn.Convolvulus pileatus (Roxb.) Spreng.Ipomoea involucrata P. Beauv.

Also Known As

Chitegue, Ubhoqo

References (2)

  • Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/ (As pellita)
  • World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

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