Ipomoea pandurata

Ipomoea pandurata
Photo taken by Gil Nelson
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Convolvulaceae
Genus:	Ipomoea
Species:	I. caroliniana
Binomial name
Ipomoea pandurata (L.) G. Mey.
Natural range of Ipomoea pandurata from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Taxonomic notes

Common name: Carolina indigo

Description

Ipomoea pandurata, a perennial morning glory, has a large storage root and heart-shaped leaves (fig. 2). The plant forms one or more trailing vines that will grow along any surface. Produces a new shoot every year.

"Herbaceous annual or perennial vines, or rarely a shrubby perennial. Flowers axillary, solitary or in 2-5 flowered cymes. Calyx lobes 5, often imbricate; corolla campanulate to funnel-form, or salverform in 2 species; stamens 5, inserted in the corolla tube alternate with the lobes; stigma globose, entire or slightly lobed, style 1, ovary 2-or-4 locular. Capsule 2-4 valved; seeds 2-6, sometimes villous. A large genus of primarily tropical plants, some of which were introduced as horticultural plants and have escaped to become noxious weeds." - Radford et al 1964

"Trailing, glabrate or weakly pubescent perennial from an enlarged root. Leaves ovate, entire or pandurate, 3.5-8 cm long, 2.5-8 cm wide, cordate, often pubescent beneath. Peduncles 1-5 flowered; pedicel glabrous, stout; calyx lobes coriaceous, oblong-elliptic, 12-15 mm long, glabrous, strongly imbricate; corolla campanulate, 6-8 cm long, about sa broad, the limb white, the tube lavender within; anthers 5-7 mm long, stamens and stigma included. Capsule ovoid, ca. 1 cm long; seeds villous on the angles." - Radford et al 1964

Ecology

Net photosynthesis did not differ significantly among the disturbance levels. However, whether a site was burned in the previous year clearly influenced net photosynthesis. Low sites that had been burned recently tended to have lower net photosynthesis than unburned low disturbance sites. Recently burned medium sites had much higher net photosynthesis than unburned medium sites. The highest rate of photosynthesis occurred at the burned medium and high sites. We found that recent prescribed burning, a management tool used to promote the growth of longleaf pine in this ecosystem, elevated levels of net photosynthesis for both ground cover species that we examined as stress indicators. In species with underground perennating organs, burning has been shown to stimulate rates of net photosynthesis (Schlesinger and Gill 1980; Oechel and Hastings 1983; Fleck et al. 1998). Although a flush of nutrients immediately follows burning, with an increase in mineralized nitrogen potentially persisting for up to a year (Choromanska and DeLuca 2001), most of the increase in net photosynthesis is believed to be the result of a change in the ratio of roots to shoots. The new smaller shoots have a proportionately larger root system that provides ample water and nutrients (Fleck et al. 1998).

Habitat

This species does well in canopy openings in dry woods and thickets. Grows in well drained uplands (FSU Herbarium). This species has also been observed to grow in open pine-oak scrub, along roadsides, and in open fields (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

Flowers in June (FSU Herbarium).

Fire ecology

It appeared growing after a burn at the end of May/early June. It occurs in mostly longleaf pine communities that are annually burned as well (FSU Herbarium).

Conservation and Management

Physical habitat disturbance was caused by activities associated with infantry training, including mechanized elements (tanks and personnel carriers) and foot soldiers. In addition, we examined the influence of prescribed burns and microhabitat effects (within meter-square quadrats centered about the plant) on these measures of plant stress. Net photosynthesis declined with increasing disturbance in the absence of burning for both species. However, when sites were burned the previous year, net photosynthesis increased with increasing disturbance.

References and notes

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, R. F. Doren, R. Komarek, R. A. Norris, and Gwynn W. Ramsey. States and Counties: Florida: Gadsden and Leon. Georgia: Brooks, Grady, and Thomas.

Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. 1964, 1968. The University of North Carolina Press. 864-8. Print.