Ipomea palmata (Railroad creeper)

PLANT INFO

Ipomoea cairica is a vining, herbaceous, perennial plant with palmate leaves and large, showy white to lavender flowers. A species of morning glory, it has many common names, including mile-a-minute vine, Messina creeper, Cairo morning glory, coast morning glory and railroad creeper.

Ipomoea cairica is a vigorous, perennial climber, with a tuberous root that is brown outside and white inside. The stem grows up to about 5 m long, and is smooth and twining. The leaves are green, palmate, dissected into 5-7 leaflets, 30-100 mm in diameter. The leaves are alternate and crushed leaves are not aromatic..

The flowers are trumpet-shaped, 30-60 mm long and 40-60 mm in diameter, purple to pinkish with a dark-centred eye and closes in mid-afternoon. It blooms throughout the year, and in a population one may find flowers and fruits occurring simultaneously.

The fruit is a capsule, 8-12 mm in diameter, roundish, green maturing to brown when they pop open, freeing small, brown, hairy seeds. It is a fast-growing plant and very aggressive