taxonID	type	description	language	source
DA708788FF9AFFB1F695EF46FCC4356E.taxon	description	Perennial herbs. Stems prostrate or twining, strong-stemmed, densely covered with white and yellow spreading hairs. Leaves simple, 3 - lobed, rarely entire, orbicular in outline, bristly pubescent above, white hairy below, apex acute or acuminate, base cordate, 4.5 – 13 × 4.5 – 13 cm; petiole hairy, 4 – 7 cm. Inflorescences dense cymes, 1 - many-flowered; peduncle 1.5 – 7 (– 15) cm long; bracteoles c. 7 × c. 2 mm. Sepals lanceolate, sticky glandular, with spreading hairs, 12 – 22 × 25 – 30 mm. Corolla pink or mauve, 1.2 – 1.7 (– 2) cm long, with dark purple centre, pubescent on the upper portion of the midpetaline bands. Fruits ovoid, sparsely pubescent, 8 mm high; seeds ovoid, pubescent (rarely quite glabrous), black, white tomentose, 4 – 5 mm long. Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and Fruits from November to February (H 6 eine, 1963). Habitat: Riverine forest, thickets, clearing in bushland, becoming a weed of cultivated ground. This species can grow up to 600 m above sea-level. Distribution: The native range of I. aitonii is throughout tropical Africa, the South Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent. In Ghana: Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Ashanti region and Upper West regions (Fig. 1). Specimens examined: GHANA, Eastern region: Abetifi, 20.12.1939, Scholes 110 (GC); Kyibi, Apapam, 16.12.1953, J. K. Morton 8155 (GC); Ashanti region: Ashanti Akyim, Agogo, 28.12.1927, F. R. Irvine 583 (GC); Brong Ahafo region: Sunyani, 1000 ft, 18.12.1954, C. D. Adams 2754 (GC); Northern region: Talense south, near Burufo, 20.12.1950, C. D. Adams 4451 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: The seed is used in medicine as a laxative; the leaf is used as fodder in agri-horticulture (Burkill, 1985).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF9AFFBEF52EEF66FAF53487.taxon	description	Annual herbs. Stems prostrate or twining, laticiferous, cylindrical, smooth, striate or sometimes muriculate, up to 5 m long, glabrous or rarely pubescent. Leaves simple, entire to 3 - lobed, ovate to orbicular in outline, or rarely ovate-oblong, 3 – 26 × 5 – 16 cm, apex acute to acuminate or obtuse, mucronate, base cordate, basal auricles rounded to angular, margin entire, covered in small blackish glands on both surfaces of the leaf; petiole glabrous, 2.6 – 4.5 cm long. Inflorescences axillary; peduncle stout, 1 – 2.4 cm long; bracteoles small, caducous. Flower mostly solitary: pedicels up to 3 cm long, thickening in fruit. Sepals unequal, subcoriaceous, outer ones elliptic, 0.5 – 1.2 cm long with a long awn-like appendage, 6 – 9 mm long, often reflexed, inner ones 0.8 – 1.5 cm long, shortly acuminate in a triangular apex, c. 2.3 mm long, mucronulate. Corolla hypocrateriform, creamwhite, fragrant, night-flowering; tube 7 – 15 cm long, cylindrical to slightly angular; limb 11 – 16 mm wide. Stamens slightly exserted, filaments subequal, 1 – 3 cm long, not widened at the base, inserted on the upper portion of the corolla tube, glabrous, anthers ovoid to obovoid 4 – 5 mm long. Ovary obpyriform, glabrous; style glabrous, 10.5 – 12.2 cm long. Fruits ovoid, 2.5 – 3 × 1.5 – 2.3 cm, mucronate, glabrous, 2 - locular, apiculate, dehiscing by 4 valves; seeds 4, ovoid, 10 – 13 × 4 – 9 mm, brown or black, sparsely pubescent with white hairs. Vernacular names: bona-nox (Portuguese); giant moonflower (English); ndiami (Nigeria: Efik); bayugsns (Sierra Leone: Kono); bukbui (Sierra Leone: Limba); kpokpo-hina, hina: male (Sierra Leone: Mende), maanblom (Afrikaans) (Burkill, 1985). Flowering & fruiting: Flowers throughout the year, mostly January and February (Burkill, 1985). Habitat: Wild in secondary vegetation, but often cultivated for ornament; found in grassland, on riverbanks, along roadsides and in waste places. They can grow up to 400 m above sea level. Distribution: Native to the Americas and introduced in Africa, Asia and Australia (POWO, 2024). Volta and Greater Accra regions in Ghana (Fig. 6). Specimens examined: GHANA, Greater Accra region, Legon, Legon hill, waste place, 1.01.1956, C. D. Adams 3649 (GC); Krepi plains, 24.01.1900, W. H. Johnson 548 (GC). Uses: The leaves of Ipomoea alba can be eaten as food, either cooked or uncooked, and probably as a supplementary famine food; whole herb is used to treat snake bite, the root bark is used as a purgative and the aerial part is used as an antipyretic, hypotensive and emollient; the leaves are used to treat headaches (Burkill, 1985). Conservation status: Least Concern (Canteiro, 2021).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF95FFBCF525EECFFA88375D.taxon	description	Perennial, less often annual, fleshy, stoloniferous, herb. Stems prostrate or floating, fistulose, rooting at the nodes, terete, glabrous or pilose at the nodes, smooth, with longitudinal ridges. Leaves simple, linear, lanceolate, ovate to broadly triangular in outline, 3 – 13 (– 17) × 0.5 – 9 cm, base cordate, sagittate or hastate, apex acute, acuminate, margin entire, glabrous, or more rarely pilose; petioles 1.5 – 3.5 cm long, glabrous. Inflorescences few-flowered; peduncle up to 14 cm long, thinner than the petiole, glabrous; bracteoles scale-like, narrowly ovate, 1.5 – 2 mm long, apex acute. Flower solitary: pedicel 1.5 – 6.5 cm long, glabrous or puberulent at the base. Sepals subequal; the outer ones ovate, 7 – 12 mm long, slightly shorter than the inner ones, pale along the margins, glabrous, apex obtuse, often mucronulate; inner sepals ovate-elliptic, c. 8 mm long, apex mucronate. Corolla funnel-shaped with a narrow tube, (2 –) 4.5 – 10 cm long, pink, lilac, pale, dark red, purple with a purple center, or rarely white with dark purple center, glabrous. Stamens unequal, longer ones up to 10 mm, shorter ones 4 – 5 mm, widened and puberulent at the base; anthers 2 mm long, sagittate. Ovary obpyriform, 2 - locular, glabrous; style up to 13 mm long, articulated. Fruits ovoid to globose, 10 – 14 × 8 – 12 mm wide, tardily dehiscent or indehiscent; seeds ovoid, densely pubescent. Vernacular names: water-spinach (English); weng cai, kangkong (China), liseron d’eau, patate aquatique (French), marol (Somali), bhaji, karmi bhaji, marmi bhaji (India), swamp cabbage (Trinidad & Tobago) (Dueñas-López, 2023). Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and fruits from August to December (Heine, 1963). Habitat: A helophyte, growing primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome; in moist, marshy or inundated localities, shallow pools, ditches, rice fields, forming dense masses; also found along roadsides, at elevations from sea level up to 1,000 m. Distribution: In tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia. In Ghana: N orthern, Brong Ahafo, Central, Upper West, Greater Accra and Volta regions. Specimens examined (selected): GHANA, Greater Accra Region, Mile 12 Accra-Winneba road, 5 ° 34 ’ 25 ” N, 0 ° 15 ’ 04 ” W, 10.06.1961, Hall 1873 (GC); Central region, Cape Coast, marshy roadside, 15.12.1964, J. B. Hall 2775 (GC); Northern Region, Mole Game Reserve 9 ° 29 ’ 55 ” N, 1 ° 59 ’ 55 ” W, 21.11.1994, C. C. H. Jongkind & C. M. J. Nieuwenhuis 1891 (GC); c. half mile North of Yeji, 8 ° 12 ’ 50 ” N, 0 ° 38 ’ 42 ” W, 13.08.1963, Ansah-Emmim & Adom-Boafo VBS 233 (GC); Yeji, 8 ° 12 ’ 50 ” N, 0 ° 38 ’ 42 ” W, 11.04.1964, Hall VBS 1277 (GC). Conservation status: Least Concern (Gupta & Sayer, 2018). Uses: The leaf sap of I. aquatica is used in medicine for treating insanity; the young plants and leaf are eaten as food either cooked or uncooked; whole plant of I. aquatica is used in medicine for general body healing and the flower buds is used for treating skin diseases (Burkill, 1985; Van Wyk, 2005).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF97FFBAF525ED08FE5E37FA.taxon	description	K 000097041, isolectotype B †?). Perennial herbs, or subshrub. Stems prostrate or ascending from a woody base, densely whitishtomentose with hispid yellow hairs. Leaves simple, oblong, ovate to lanceolate, 2 – 7 × 0.5 – 2.5 cm, base rounded, subcordate or cordate, apex attenuate, mucronate; densely strigose on the upper surface and deep green, silvery-silky below; petioles 0.5 – 1.6 cm. Inflorescences bracteate, heads of flowers large, densely strigose, with long golden-yellow hairs; bracteoles 10 – 28 × 4 – 14 mm long, hairy like the calyx. Sepals linear-lanceolate or almost linear, acuminate, silky white on the back, with yellow strigose margins. Corolla large, funnel-shaped, whitish turning light purplish with darker centre, c. 3 cm long, midpetaline bands strigose outside. Fruits 4 - valved, glabrous; seeds covered with a dense dark brown pubescence. Vernacular names: ukpali, fárín gámó, (Dagani, Dyokogye, Hausa, Ghana); good luck (English) (Burkill, 1985). Flowering & fruiting: Begins flowering and fruiting in June but mostly from August to December (Heine, 1963). Habitat: A climber, growing primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome; in savanna habitat (Heine, 1963). They can grow up to elevations of 500 m. Distribution: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal (Hassler 2022, POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Northern, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Upper East and Upper West regions (Fig. 5). Specimens examined: GHANA. Northern Region, Damango, a yam farm near the Mole game reserve, Savannah grasslands, 06.12.1965, A. A. Enti 35162 (GC); Kwahu-Tafo, Grassland on flat rocks at 1500 ’, 19.08.1963, J. B. Hall 0098 (GC); Yendi, 28.12.1950, C. D. Adams & G. K. Akpabla 4051 (GC); Tamale, Tamale Girls School compound, 01.10.1954, E. G. Asare 5934 (GC); Eastern region, Kwahu-Abowom, on rocks by a pool, 12.06.1970, Hall & Agyakwa 39684 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: The whole plant is used as genital stimulant or depressant; a decoction of aerial parts is drunk while kola nuts are eaten, in Ivory Coast, in the belief that it promotes spermatogenesis; other uses are mainly superstitious, as medicine for witchcraft, worn as an amulet, for example; clothing is fumigated with it, not as a scent, but as a charm for the same purpose, or for luck; in Bénin, a leaf decoction together with leaves of Ficus vallischoudae Delile, is drunk to treat hyperthermia and a decoction of the leafy twigs is taken to treat kwashiorkor (Burkill, 1985).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF91FFBAF6ACEDEAFACD3554.taxon	description	Roussillon s. n. (holo P-LA [P-LAM 00357544]; iso P-JUSS [P-JUSS 6798]). Perennial herbs. Stems prostrate, sometimes twinning, terete or angular, puberulent, with longitudinal ridges. Leaves simple, circular to reniform, 3.5 – 7 (– 13) × 3.5 – 8.5 (– 18) cm, apex obtuse to emarginate, base cordate with rounded lobes, margins entire, glabrous, subcoriaceous; petiole 3 – 8.5 (– 13) cm long, glabrous, thickened and with longitudinal ridges, or minutely muricate. Inflorescences lax, peduncle 2 – 5 (– 9.2) cm; bracteoles ovate, lanceolate, minute, 1 – 2 mm long. Flowers few: pedicel 1 – 3 cm long, glabrous. Sepals unequal, elliptic-oblong, apex obtuse, mucrunolate; outer ones shorter, 5 – 8 mm long, more or less muricate; inner ones longer, 8 – 11 mm long. Corolla funnel-shaped, reddish purple, 6 – 8 cm long, glabrous. Fruits globose, 8.5 – 10.2 mm long; seeds not seen. Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and fruits from January to April, although produces flowers all year round (Heine, 1963) Habitat: A scrambling herb, growing primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome (POWO, 2024); in sandy areas and waste places in Africa; in marshy grasslands and waysides at elevations up to 600 m (Prota, 2024). Distribution: Widely distributed across tropical regions (POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Upper East, Eastern, Upper West, Greater Accra, Northern and Central regions (Fig. 3). Specimens examined: GHANA, Eastern Region, Bunso, 6 ° 17 ’ 19 ” N, 0 ° 28 ’ 39 ” W, s. coll. s. n. (MO); Upper East Region, Bals of White Volta on road from Bolgatanga to Bawku, 10 ° 47 ’ 36 ” N, 0 ° 51 ’ 38 ” W, 04.04.1953, Morton s. n. (GC); Before nyankpala, 22.05.1952, Morton s. n. (GC); Busufo grassland, 19.12.1950, Adams & Akpabla s. n. (GC); Yamlapa, 01.06.1958, Harris s. n. (GC); Northern region, Old Dam at Tamale, 18.01.1966, A. A. Enti & C. W. Agyakwa, VBS 468 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: Whole plant is used for treating arthritis, rheumatism, lumbago, eye treatment; leaves are used for treating cutaneous and subcutaneous parasites (Burkill, 1985); the leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable, also used as dye, tying material and tinder, purgative, abortifacient (Prota, 2024).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF91FFBBF525EF70FB4C3554.taxon	description	1: 154 (1753). Lectotype (designated by Biju 2002: 755): INDIA, Herb. Linn. LINN 77.5 (S). Perennial herbs, with underground, fusiform to ellipsoid, yellow or reddish edible storage roots, colour depending on cultivar. Stems prostrate, ascending or rarely twining, angular when young, 1 – 2 mm in diameter, often rooting at the lower nodes, striate, glabrous or glabrescent. Leaves simple, triangular to broadly ovate in outline, entire to 3 – 5 - lobed, palmatifid or palmatisect, 4 – 14 × 4 – 16 cm, apex acute to acuminate and mucronate, base truncate or cordate, lobes triangular to lanceolate, glabrous to slightly pubescent on both surfaces; petiole 4 – 20 (– 50) cm long, glabrous or puberulous. Inflorescence axillary cymes: peduncle 3 – 18 cm long, stout, angular, glabrous or pubescent; bracteoles narrow, oblong, acute, 2 – 3 mm long, early deciduous. Flowers few: pedicel 3 – 12 mm long. Sepals subequal, oblong to elliptical-oblong, apex acute and distinctly mucronate, 7 – 12 mm long, 3 – 5 mm wide, subcoriaceous, glabrous or pilose on the back and fimbriate, persistent in fruit; outer sepals oblong to elliptic-oblong, 7 – 12 × 2 – 3 mm; inner sepals elliptic-oblong or ovate-oblong, 9 – 12 mm long, 4 – 5 mm wide. Corolla funnel-shaped, 3 – 5 cm long, violet or lilac to white, with dark purple center, glabrous. Stamens included; filaments unequal, two longest 8 – 14 mm long, three shortest 6 – 9 mm long, widened and pubescent at the base; anthers obloid, 2 – 3 mm long, base sagittate. Ovary ovoid, 1.5 – 2 mm long, sparsely pubescent, with long spreading hairs, 4 - celled; style filiform, 15 – 20 mm long, glabrous; stigmas 2 - globose. Fruits ovoid, opening by 4 - valves, 8 – 12 mm long; seeds ovoid to irregularly trigonous, 4 – 7 mm long, black, glabrous. Vernacular names: Sweet potato (English), patate douce (French), lémongho, futa (Mindumu), lifita (Bavili), imongo (Banzabi), égwèta (Ivéa, Mitsogo), lungu (Bapunu), boniato (Spanish) (Prota, 2024). Flowering & fruiting: Produces flowers and fruits from August to December (Heine, 1963). Habitat: Sweet potatoes are grown at low to medium elevations of up to 1,800 m in regions with moderate rainfall or in damp environments. Beyond this altitude, to 2,200 m and higher, it is grown as a fodder crop. Though its precise origin is unknown, this plant is widely cultivated across the tropics. When plants are not cultivated, they are typically found on roadsides close to homes and farms, as well as in abandoned fields (Cartabiano-Leite et al., 2020). Distribution: Native from Mexico to Venezuela and Ecuador (POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Greater Accra and Eastern regions (Fig. 7). Herbarium records indicate that Ipomoea batatas were primarily collected from cultivated areas, with only a small number of specimens found along roadsides, which most likely represent wild populations. This distribution implies that the plant was probably brought to Ghana for cultivation before escaping into the wild and establishing naturalized populations in disturbed habitats such as roadsides. Specimens examined: GHANA, Greater Accra region, Maamobi, 04.05.1976, J. B. Hall 43692 (GC); Volta region, Kade agricultural research station, 6 o 08 ’ 28 ’’ N, 00 o 53 ’ 56 ’’ W, alt. 200 m, 02.10.1996, H. Schmidt, J. Amponsah & M. Chinto 2271 (GC). Conservation status: Data deficient (Rowe et al., 2019). Uses: The edible roots are roasted, fried, or boiled before consumption; they are processed to make crisps and sweet potato fries (chips); additionally, they provide starch, which is used in Korea to produce dang myun noodles; in New Guinea and Southeast Asia, sweet potato leaves are eaten as a vegetable; owing to their lovely flowers and foliage, certain sweet potato cultivars are planted as ornamentals (Carvalho et al., 2023).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF90FFB8F52EEF70FDC73382.taxon	description	Perennial herbs, on a woody rootstock. Stems several, prostrate, slender, densely hirsute with yellowish appressed hairs. Leaves lanceolate or narrowly oblong-linear, 0 – 8 × 1.3 – 2.5 cm, base rounded or subcordate, apex obtuse or mucronate, margin entire, nearly glabrous or with odd hairs on midrib above and margins and veins beneath, ciliate at the apex; petiole up to 1.5 cm long, pubescent. Inflorescences, flowers solitary; peduncle 1.5 – 2 cm long, pubescent; bracteoles narrowly ovate to lanceolate, unequal in length, c. 3.5 mm long, pubescent; pedicel up to 1 cm long, pubescent, longer in fruit. Sepals unequal, apex acute, covered in long appressed hairs, outer ones shorter, up to 18 mm long and 4 mm wide, pubescent and ciliate, inner ones more narrowly ovate, slightly longer than the inner. Corolla narrowly funnel-shaped, c. 2.5 cm, 3 times longer than sepals, pale or red-purple with darker lines and throat, distinctly narrower below the tube, with long white hairs at the apex of the midpetaline bands. Stamens included; filaments slightly unequal, widened and pubescent at the base; anther ovoid, 2 mm long, sagittate at the base; disc cup-shaped. Ovary ovoid, glabrous; stigmas 2 - globose; style included. Fruits globose, 9 – 10 mm long, glabrous, apiculate, with persistent style; seeds brownish, 4 – 4.5 mm with appressed yellowish hairs, tomentose. Habitat: Grasslands (often seasonally flooded), wooded grassland after burning, secondary forests (dry evergreen) or rocky hills; (550 -) 1,080 – 1,860 m (Demissew, 2006; POWO, 2024). Distribution: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo [Brazzaville], Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe (COL Checklist, 2022; POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Brong Ahafo, Upper East, Eastern and Volta regions (Fig. 4). Specimens examined: GHANA, Upper East Region, Red volta F. R., Savannah, 24.11.1976, Hall & Swaine 46125 (GC); Upper East Region, Zowse, hills near Bawku, Grassland, 08.11.1966, Hall & Enti 35996 (GC); Volta Region, 7 – 8 m on Kete Krachi-atebubu road, 19.12.1956, C. D. Adam 4601 (GC); Eastern Region, Jaketi on Afram plains, 01.03.1958, G. K. Akpabla 1876 (GC); Upper West, Tumu resthouse, 25.05.1952, J. K. Morton 7564 (GC); Northern region: Kpandai Leprosarium, 01.08.1968, J. B. Hall 38753 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated.	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF93FFB9F6ACEA31FD8E34A2.taxon	description	922. 1759. Lectotype (designated by Bosser & Heine, 2000): Vesling in Alpino, De Plantis Aegypti, t. 74. 1640. Perennial, climbing, herbs, with enlarged storage roots. Stems twining or prostrate, completely glabrous or shortly pubescent at the nodes, up to 2 cm long, sometimes shallowly muricate. Leaves palmately compound, orbicular, ovate or elliptic in outline, 5 – 7 lobes, narrowly elliptic, elliptic or ovate, apex acuminate, base attenuate, outer lobes often bifid, glabrous, 3 – 10 cm, apex acute or obtuse, mucronulate or attenuate with pseudo-stipules, 5 – 7 palmately compound, glabrous, at the insertion of the petiole; petiole 2 – 6 cm long, terete, glabrous. Inflorescences in lax dichotomous cymes: peduncle 5 – 8 mm long, ramified; bracteoles 1.5 mm long, caducous. Flowers many: pedicel up to 3 cm long, thickening towards the apex. Sepals subequal, ovate, 4 – 6.5 × 2.5 – 3 mm, glabrous, sometimes verruculose; the outer ones slightly shorter, obtuse to acute and mucronulate at the apex, membranous and pale along the margins. Corolla funnel-shaped, (3 –) 4 – 6.5 × 4 – 5 cm, pinkish-mauve, purple, to entirely white, with a purple center, glabrous. Stamens included; filaments unequal, dilated and pubescent at the base; anthers 2.5 mm long, sagittate at the base, pollen pantoporate, spinulose. Ovary 2 - locular; style included, c. 18 mm, glabrous. Fruits subglobose, glabrous, 1 – 1.2 cm in diameter; seeds subglobose or ovoid, 4.2 – 6 mm long, blackish, densely short-tomentose with long silky hairs along the edges. Flowering & fruiting: According to the flora of West Tropical Africa, it flowers and fruits all year round (Heine, 1963). Habitat: Grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome; secondary forest and savannah (POWO, 2024). They can grow up to 350 m above sea-level. Distribution: Native in Tropical and South Africa, West Indian Ocean, Arabian Peninsula to Temperate East Asia. Introduced in Algeria and a greater part of Tropical South America. In Ghana: Greater Accra region (Legon, Medea), Central (Elmina), Eastern (Suhum) and Northern regions (Bole) (Fig. 2). Specimens examined: GHANA, Greater Accra region, Legon hill, 15.01.1956, C. D. Adams, 3700 (GC); Central region: Elmina-Emisano, 01.12.1929, L. O. Deakun 53 (GC); Eastern region, Suhum, 01.12.1951, J. K. Morton 6333 (GC); Northern region, Bole Banbow, Bole, 01.11.1958, T. M. Hams s. n. (GC). Conservation status: Least Concern (Allen, 2017). Uses: Most parts of Ipomoea cairica have been recorded to be edible; the leaves are eaten when still young, and roots are cooked before consumption. Leaves of the species are also used for treating skin disorders, and seeds are used as laxatives, purgatives and enemas. It is also used medicinally by Zulu people, who make a mixture using crushed leaves and drink it for healing body rashes and fever (Burkill, 1985).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF92FFB9F695EF23FAF53513.taxon	description	G 00023044, G 00023045], K [K 000097015], MO [MO- 2367140], P [P 00434153], S [S 11 - 40181], WAG [WAG 0000757]). Perennial, or sometimes annual, herbs. Stems several, stout, suberect to prostrate, up to 3 m long, glabrescent or pilose. Leaves simple, linear-lanceolate to oblong, 2.4 – 8 × 0.5 – 2 cm, base cuneate or obtuse, apex subacute to obtuse and mucronate, margin entire, glabrescent or pilose; petioles 0.5 – 1.2 cm long. Inflorescences cymose; peduncles inconspicuous, up to 5 mm long; bracteoles pilose, linear, inconspicuous, c. 4 mm long. Flower: pedicels inconspicuous, up to 5 mm long. Sepals subequal, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, c. 6 mm long, up to 1.2 cm in fruit, apex long-attenuate, covered with long, white hairs, with hyaline lower margins. Corolla narrowly funnel-shaped, small, only slightly longer than the calyx, red or white, 5 – 8 mm long. Fruits globose, glabrous, apiculate, with style base persistent, 5 – 7.5 mm in diam.; seeds brown, shortly pubescent, 3 mm long. Vernacular names: ñiñéni, manding-bambara (Senegal) (Burkill, 1985). Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and fruits between December to May (Roux, 2003). Habitat: Grows primarily in the Seasonally Dry Tropical biomes (POWO, 2024). They can grow up to elevations of 250 m. Distribution: Native to Botswana, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe (POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Upper East region (Fig. 4). Specimens examined: GHANA, Upper East Region, Near Bongo, on route to Nangodi, N. T. S, 15.11.1959, J. K. Morton A 3804 (GC). Conservation assessment: Not evaluated. Uses: The whole plant parts are used in traditional medicine and fodder for livestock (Prota, 2024).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF92FFA6F52EEFB4FD8335F1.taxon	description	Herbs. Stems twining, striate, hirsute with long yellowish hairs. Leaves simple, subtriangular, ovate or cordate, 7.9 – 9.6 × 6.6 – 7 cm, base cordate, apex acute to acuminate, lateral nerves 13 – 14, margins entire to sinuate, densely long pubescent above and strigose beneath; petioles 3 – 7.4 cm, densely long pubescent, grooved beneath, hirsute as the stems. Inflorescences capituliform, dense head, 3 – 7 - flowered; peduncles 11.8 – 13.5 cm, densely yellowish hirsute as the stem, enclosed by the bracteoles; bracteoles 2, foliaceous, ovate, 2 – 4.5 cm long, cordate at the base. Flower sessile. Sepals unequal, shorter than the bracteoles, glabrous outside, denticulate and long ciliate inside, strigose; the outer sepals elliptic, 14 – 15 mm long; inner ones narrowly oblong-elliptic, 12 – 13 mm long. Corolla funnel-shaped, 3.5 – 5 cm, white with dark purple throat; midpetaline bands strigose on the upper portion. Stamens pubescent throughout the length of the filaments, widened at the base, very unequal in length, longer ones 10 – 13.5 mm, shorter ones 2 – 4 mm; anther 3 – 4 mm, sagittate at the base, rounded at the apex. Ovary ovoid, c. 1.5 mm long, glabrous; style filiform, 15 – 19 mm. Fruits globose, c. 7 mm in diam., glabrous, 3 – 4 - seeded; seeds trigonous, ovoid or globose, 3 – 4 mm, dark brown, tomentose. Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and fruits between December to February. Habitat: The species grows in woodlands and thickets (Verdcourt, 1963). They can grow up to 350 m above sea level. Distribution: Native to Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Ivory Coast, and Democratic Republic of Congo (POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Brong Ahafo region (Fig. 5). New record for Ghana. Specimens examined: GHANA, Brong Ahafo region, Injina road, Berekum, 12.12.1954, J. K. Morton A 1035 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated.	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF8DFFA7F6ACEF89FEE7372D.taxon	description	Annual herbs, on a woody base. Stems prostrate or climbing, slender, up to 1 cm in diam., pubescent to hispid, with a mixture of long and short hairs. Leaves simple, ovate to widely cordate and narrowly linear to oblong-mucronate, 2 – 10 × 0.8 – 7 cm, base subhastate with rounded lobes, apex long attenuate to acuminate and mucronate, pilose to strigose, hairs highly concentrated on the midrib and the veins; petiole 1 – 6 cm long, pubescent. Inflorescences rarely 1, subsessile or short pedunculate; peduncles 1 – 10 mm long, densely pubescent; bracteoles linear to narrowly ovate-elliptic, 3 – 8 mm, pubescent. Flower: pedicel c. 5 mm long, pubescent. Sepals subequal, ovate to lanceolate, apex acuminate, 6 – 8 mm long, hispid to pilose, ciliate, spreading in fruit, inner sepals slightly narrower. Corolla tubular to funnel-shaped, pink-purplish or rarely white, 6 – 9 × 13 mm, midpetaline areas pilose. Stamens included; filaments inserted at the base of the corolla, glabrous; anthers globose, 1 mm long; disc 0.4 mm high, pubescent. Ovary obpyriform, 2.5 mm high, hirsute, 2 - locular, 4 - celled; style distinctly articulate, 4 mm long; stigma 2 - globose. Fruits ovoid-globose to globose, 5 – 6 mm in diam., pubescent, apiculate, with persistent style; seeds black-grey, trigonous-globose, 2.5 mm long, glabrous, finely punctate. Vernacular names: manding-bambara gabi (Senegal), manding-mandinka (Gambia), mende kpokpo (Sierra Leone), tiny morning glory (English), umurandaranda (Kirundi) (Prota, 2024). Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and fruits between November to January (Heine, 1963). Habitat: Reported to be growing on grassland, hedgerows, waste spaces, cultivated ground, often on clay soils at altitudes of 0 – 1,350 m (Verdcourt, 1963); in Ethiopia, also in woodland habitat (Combretum - Terminalia - Anogeissus woodland), up to 1,700 m (Demissew, 2006). Distribution: Native to tropical regions in Africa, Australia, Asia and Saudi Arabia. Introduced in Oman, Puerto Rico, Réunion, Windward Islands, Yemen (POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Upper West, Northern, Eastern, Brong Ahafo, Eastern and Volta regions (Fig. 4). Specimens examined (selected): GHANA. Eastern region, Afram Mankrong F. R, 19.12.1957, C. D. Adams 4951 (GC); Mt. Ejuanema, Kwahu, 2200 m, 25.12.1957, C. D. Adams 5145 (GC); Northern region, Pong Tamale, Veterinary Dept., 27.11.1935, G. K. Akpabla 378 (GC); Yendi, 12.12.1951, Adams & Akpabla 4053 (GC); Bole, 01.01.1958, T. M. Harris 955 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: Seed oil from I. eriocarpa is used to treat skin diseases and dermal eruptions, arthritis and rheumatism (Burkill, 1985). Used in soups or mixed with other foods, including other Ipomoea species (Nigeria); in Tanzania and India, the leaves are boiled and eaten as vegetables; the seeds have unspecified medicinal use in Gambia; subsequently, the oil extract of the plant is used in India for external application in headache, rheumatism, leprosy, epilepsy, ulcers and fevers (Prota, 2024).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF8CFFA7F695EDB9FAF0357B.taxon	description	1959: 48): Illustration of Ipomoea foliis cordatis in Plumier in Burman, Pl. Amer. 4: 82, t. 93, f. 2. 1756. Annual herbs. Stems twining, slender, ramified, slightly angular, glabrous or sparsely pilose. Leaves simple, rarely 3 - lobed, ovate to orbicular in outline, 2.2 – 8.3 × 2.1 – 8 cm; petioles 3 – 13 cm, glabrous to sparsely pubescent; base cordate, apex acuminate and mucronate, margin entire, angular, coarsely dentate or deeply 3 - lobed, glabrous to sparsely pubescent. Inflorescences axillary cymes: peduncle 1.3 – 16 (– 20) cm long, angular, glabrous to pubescent; bracteoles ovate, 1.5 – 2 mm, long mucronate. Flowers 1 - few: pedicel 0.3 – 1.2 (– 5) cm. Sepals slightly unequal, oblong-elliptic, 3 – 4 mm long with a prominent awn, 2 – 4 mm long, straight or slightly reflexed. Corolla hypocrateriform, red scarlet, glabrous, limb 2 – 2.5 cm in diam., shallowly 5 - lobed; tube 2.8 – 4 cm long, narrowed below, slightly curved. Stamens exserted; filaments c. 4 cm long, slightly widened at the base and covered with glandular hairs; anthers 2 mm long. Ovary ovoid, glabrous, 2 - locular, 4 - celled; style c. 4.5 cm long; stigmas 2 - globose. Fruits globose, 5 – 7 mm in diameter, surrounded at the base by the persistent sepals, opening by 4 - valves; seeds trigonous, black, 3 – 4 mm long, densely pubescent. Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and fruits from November to February (Heine, 1963). Vernacular names: liseron hallier (French), trompetica roja (Spanish), fue kula (Tongan), amarra-amarra, corda-de-viola, batatarana, corriola (Portuguese) (Burkill, 1985). Habitat: Found growing in waste places, thickets, cliffs, and locally established in riverine forest, roadsides, cultivated fields and disturbed areas. They can grow up to 100 m above sea-level. Distribution: Native of tropical and subtropical America from the Southern United States to Argentina, now widely naturalized throughout the tropics. In Ghana: Central region (Fig. 6). Specimens examined: GHANA. Eastern region: Bunso, [6 ° 16 ’ 47 ” N, 00 ° 27 ’ 44 ” W], 17.11.1995, H. H. Schmidt 1753 (GC); Eastern region: Agogo, 21.12.1928, L. O. Deakin, 8 (GC); Central Region: Assuantsi. 9.02.1928, T. W. Williams 1401 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: Roots are scraped and used as a remedy for stomach-ache; modified stems are also used to treat intestinal parasites (Rojas-Sandoval, 2016).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF8CFFA4F52EEF6CFD8033E7.taxon	description	1854. Lectotype (designated by Mwanga-Mwanga, Sosef & Simoes, 2022: 96): GUINEA, Mortensen s. n. (C [C 10004084]; isolecto C [C 10004083]). Annual herbs. Stems twining, terete, densely covered in hirsute, long, yellowish indumentum, associated with a layer of greyish, shorter, hairs. Leaves simple, ovate to subtriangular or cordate, 4 – 7.8 × 2.4 – 6.1 cm, base cordate to truncate, apex acute to acuminate, margin entire, densely yellowish pubescent above, with long silver dense hairs beneath; petiole 1.7 – 3.4 cm long, densely hirsute as the stem. Inflorescences capituliform, dense, enlarged by persistent, enlarged, bracteoles; peduncle 2.9 – 4.6 cm, yellowish hirsute as the stem; bracts several, oval-elliptic to narrowly oblong, 15 – 30 × 5 – 8 mm, pilose as the leaves, the external face long hirsute. Flower: sepals subequal, c. 9 mm long, shorter than the bracteoles, linear-lanceolate, apex acute, densely pubescent on both faces, strongly yellowish hirsute on the outside, as the bracts, towards the base, hirsute with silver hairs towards the apex; corolla funnel-shaped, white to pink with dark purple centre; stamens inserted, unequal, filaments 5 – 6 mm long, anther basifixed, ovoid, 1.8 mm long, sagittate at the base; ovary conical to ovoid, 2 - locular, 5 – 6 mm long, glabrous; style filiform, 9 – 13 mm. Fruit ovoid, 5 – 6 mm, glabrous; seeds ovoid, 3 – 4 mm, black, finely yellow pubescent. Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and fruits between December to February, based on examined specimens. Habitat: Found in open or dense Combretum – Anogeissus leiocarpus woodland or deciduous woodland; in Ethiopia, it can be found at 550 – 600 m altitude but extended to 435 – 1200 m altitude range in other countries; it can also be found in the undergrowth, woodland edge, wet grassland, rivers, and near waterfalls (GonÇalves, 1987). Distribution: Angola, Burundi, West Africa except Liberia, Central African Rep., Chad, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre, and Zimbabwe (POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Northern, Volta and Brong Ahafo regions (Fig. 5). Specimens examined: GHANA, Brong-Ahafo Region, between Wenchi and Sunyani, 06.02.1995, C. C. H. Jongkind 2028 (GC); ibid., 05.12.1995, H. H. Schmidt, J. Amposah & A. Welsing 1919 (GC); Eastern region, Mankrong, Kwahu, 23.12.1957, C. D. Adams 5066 (GC); Northern region: Larabang-Wa road, c. 2 km, 9 o 13 ’ 19 ’’ N, 01 o 52 ’ 17 ’’ W, 140 m, 01.12.1995, H. H. Schmidt, J. Amposah & A. Welsing 1888 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated.	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF8FFFA5F6ACE9EFFD5836A3.taxon	description	Bot. 1: 17. 1790. Type: Imperato, Hist. Nat., éd. 2: 671. 1672. Perennial, fleshy, stoloniferous, herbs. Stems prostrate, sometimes twining, terete, glabrous, rooting at the nodes. Leaves simple, very variable in shape and size, particularly on the same plant, linear, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic-oblong or ovate, sometimes shallowly 3 – 5 - lobed, 1.5 – 14 × 1.5 – 3.5 (– 6.5) cm, apex bilobed, emarginate, obtuse to acute or mucronate, base rounded to truncate or cordate, margins entire to undulate; petioles 0.5 – 4.5 (– 5) cm, glabrous or less often puberulent at the apex. Inflorescences: peduncle 0.6 – 1.9 cm; bracteoles very narrowly elliptic-oblong to linear or subulate, 2 – 4 mm long. Flower: pedicel 2.1 – 4.3 cm; slightly club-shaped. Sepals unequal, oblong, obtuse to shortly cuspidate at the apex, subcoriaceous; outer ones shorter, 8 – 9 mm long; inner ones longer, 10 – 11 mm long. Corolla funnel-shaped, 3.9 – 5 cm long, white, yellowish on the inside, with a dark purple center, glabrous. Stamens unequal; longer filaments 8 – 10 mm, shorter filaments 5 – 6 (– 7) mm, puberulent at the base; anthers pale yellow, 3 – 4 mm long. Ovary ovoid, 2 - locular, 2.2 – 2.5 mm high, glabrous; style filiform, 12 – 13 mm long. Fruits ellipsoid to subglobose, dehiscing by 4 valves, glabrous; seeds ovoid-trigonous, 4 – 5 mm long, tomentose with greyish silky hairs. Vernacular names: beach morning-glory (English) (CABI, 2019). Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and fruits between May to August (GBIF, 2022). Habitat: Ipomoea imperati grows on coastal flats, beaches, windward and leeward slopes of dunes, up to 100 m (CABI, 2021). Distribution: Tropical and subtropical coasts (POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Greater Accra and Western regions. Specimens examined: GHANA, Greater Accra region, Accra, 02.05.1966, T. W. Porown 399 (GC); Medea, 21.05.1953, D. W. Woodall 15588 (GC); Labadi, 16.10.1963, J. K. Botokro 47356 (GC); Accra Sea Coast, 13.10.1899, T. W. Brown 399 (GC); Near beach, West of Accra, 5 o 30 ’ 06 o N, 0 o 20 ’ 42 ’’ W, alt. 5 m, 26.11.1994, C. C. H. Jongkind, D. K. Abbiw & C. M. Markwei 1898 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: The plant is used in folk medicine for the treatment of inflammation, swelling and wounds, as well as to treat pains after childbirth and for stomach problems (De Paula – Zurrón et al., 2010).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF8EFFA5F695ED23FBB4356E.taxon	description	Fosberg, 1976: 38): Besler, Aest. Ord. 13, fol. 8. II. 1613. Perennial herbs. Stems twining or prostrate, 1 – 1.5 mm in diam., rooting at the nodes, pubescent with retrorse hairs, subligneous at the base. Leaves simple; lamina ovate, entire or 3 - lobed, 5 – 12 × 3 – 15 cm, cordate at the base, apex acuminate, pilose to glabrescent on both surfaces, more densely pubescent below; petiole 2 – 10 cm long, pubescent. Inflorescences: peduncle 0.5 – 15 cm long; bracteoles linear to lanceolate, or ovate-lanceolate. Flower: pedicel 2 – 10 cm long, pubescent like the stem. Sepals subequal, lanceolate, apex caudate, acuminate, 1.5 – 2.3 cm long, herbaceous, glabrescent, persistent in fruit; outer sepals ovate, apex long acuminate, 9 – 12 mm long, pubescent; inner sepals narrower. Corolla funnel-shaped, 5 – 8 cm long, blue or mauvepurple, often red-tinged; tube whitish at the base; limb flaring, glabrous, lobes broadly rounded, notched at apex. Stamens 5, included; filaments unequal, 17 – 30 mm, broadened and hairy at the base; anthers oblong, 3.5 – 5 (– 5.3) mm long; pollen spinulose, pantoporate; disc annular, lobed. Ovary ovoid, 3 – locular, 1 – 1.5 mm long, glabrous; style filiform, 30 – 33 mm long, glabrous; stigmas 2 - globose. Fruits ovoid-globose, opening by 3 valves, 8 – 10 mm in diameter, glabrous; seeds 6, ovoid to ellipsoidal, 4 – 6 mm long, brown-black, covered with an appressed pubescence. Vernacular names: blue dawn morning-glory, oceanblue morning-glory (English) (Mwanga- Mwanga et al., 2022). Flowering & fruiting: It flowers in most months of the year (Wood et al., 2015). Habitat: Found in roadside thicket sand along the borders of moist woodlands. They can grow up to elevations of 400 m. Distribution: Native to tropical and subtropical America, cultivated as ornamental or escaped from cultivation elsewhere. In Ghana: Greater Accra and Eastern regions (Fig. 7). Specimens examined: GHANA, Greater Accra region, Accra Plains, 15.10.1954, G. K. Aghemaheie 679 (GC); Christiansborg, 17.10.1954, F. W. Engmann 709 (GC); Eastern region, Koforidua, 6 o 16 ’ 47 ” N, 00 o 27 ’ 44 ” W, alt. 150 m, 17.10.1995, H. H. Schmidt, J. Amponsah & A. Welsing 1751 (MO, GC); Larteh, 18.10.1900, W. H. Johnson 822 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: Cultivated as ornamental, sometimes escaped from cultivation or subspontaneous (Mwanga-Mwanga et al., 2022).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF8EFFA2F52EEF66FD28335F.taxon	description	Perennial shrubs or trees, 3 – 10 m high. Stems light coloured, up to 50 cm in diameter. Leaf blade green, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 7 – 14 × 3 – 5.5 cm, rounded, acuminate, entire, glabrous or sparsely pubescent on the lower surface near the base of the midrib, 10 – 17 lateral veins on each side of the midrib, sometimes bi-glandular at the base of the midrib; petiole pale green, 3 – 9 cm long, glabrous. Inflorescences pedunculate, peduncle 0.4 – 2 cm long, glabrous; bracteoles ovate to oblong, 3 – 6 × 1 – 2.5 mm, glabrous on both surfaces and pubescent within, caducous. Flower: pedicel 1.8 – 5 cm long, glabrous. Calyx ovate, 13 – 19 × 7 – 13 mm, coriaceous, obtuse or obtusemucronate and acute at the apex, abaxial surface glabrous and adaxial surface with soft, straight appressed hairs. Corolla white or yellowish white, 5 – 8 × 5 – 7 cm, the tube and the interplical regions greenish yellow, funnel, glabrous or sparsely pubescent along the margins of the inter apical regions. Stamens included; filaments 3 – 4 cm long; anthers 8 – 10.5 mm long, basal hairs up to 2.5 mm long. Ovary 2 - locular, 4 - ovuled; style 3.5 – 4 cm long; stigmas 2, globose to slightly elongate, 1 mm long. Fruits opening by 4 - valved, 2 – 2.5 cm long; seeds pilose, with long hairs on the margins, 10 – 15 mm long. Vernacular names: Cazahuate, cazahuate blanco or palo blanco (Spanish). Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and fruits between October and April. Habitat: Dry shrublands in central Mexico, oak forests and tropical deciduous woodlands; altitude from 900 – 2200 m. Distribution: Native to Mexico, introduced, cultivated or escaped from cultivation elsewhere. In Ghana: Eastern region, Greater Accra region. New record for Ghana. Specimens examined: GHANA, Greater Accra region, Botany Department, University College, Achimota, 21.11.1959, G. K. Akpabla 490 (GC); Eastern region, Aburi Botanical Garden, 25.05.1976, Hall, Lock & Abbiw 45849 (GC). Conservation status: IUCN has formally assessed this species as Least Concern (Salas et al., 2020). Uses: Ornamental and medicinal. (Osuna et al., 1996; Bah et al., 2007; Wood et al., 2020).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF89FFA3F6ACE908FE7A36A3.taxon	description	Annual or perennial herbs. Stems creeping or climbing, densely hirsute with yellowish hairs, to glabrescent. Leaves simple, ovate, 2 – 8 × 1.5 – 7 cm, base cordate, apex attenuate-acuminate to obtuse, mucronate, base cordate, glabrous to densely tomentose on both surfaces; petiole 1.3 – 8 cm long, pubescent. Inflorescences in dense heads, enclosed within a bracteal involucre; peduncles 2 – 12 (– 16) cm, pubescent; outer bracteoles connate into large pubescent foliaceous boat-shaped involucre, with 2 cups, 3 – 6 × 0.8 – 1.5 cm, green, pubescent, inner bracteoles small, linear-oblong to obovate, 1.5 – 2 × 0.2 – 0.4 cm, acute to aristate at the apex. Flower: pedicel 1.5 – 3 mm, pubescent. Sepals narrowly elliptic, glabrescent to densely pubescent; outer ones lanceolate and acute, 6 – 15 × 4 mm; inner ones ovate, shorter. Corolla funnel-shaped, purple, rose-red, mauve, white or white with dark purple centre, 3 – 5 cm long, midpetaline bands pilose on the outside. Stamens unequal, the longer ones 10 – 15 mm, the shorter ones 5 – 7 mm, widened and pubescent at the base; anthers white, 1.7 – 2 mm, sagittate at the base. Ovary ovoid, c. 1 mm, glabrous; style 8 – 13 mm; stigmas 2, white, globose. Fruits globose, opening by 4 valves, 6 mm wide, glabrous; seeds pubescent or glabrous, 3.5 – 4 mm long, blackish, glabrous to shortly pubescent. Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and Fruits all year round, especially from July to December (Heine, 1963). Habitat: Creepers on the roadside of the main road. They can grow up to 500 m above sea-level. Distribution: The native range of I. involucrata is tropical and South Africa (POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Eastern, Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western, Oti, Central and Volta regions (Fig. 5). Specimens examined (selected): GHANA, Ashanti region, Atewa range, 6 ° 14 ’ 30 ’’ N, 0 ° 32 ’ 30 ’’ W, 08.07.1994, C. C. H. Jongkind, D. K. Abbiw & C. M. Markwei 1561 (GC); Western region, Amenfi east, Akropong, 25.08.1898, W. H. Johnson 154 (GC); Ankasa Forest Resource Reserve, Ankasa based camp to Nkwanta guard camp, c. 5.0 km., 5 o 13 ’ 06 ’’ N, 2 o 39 ’ 06 ’’ W, alt 150 - 230 m, 13.02.1999, H. H. Schimdt, J. Stone, J. Amponsah & M. Chintoh 3383 (GC); Oti region, Kete Krachi, Mpuseto, 01.12.1951, J. K. Morton 6430 (GC); Central region, Cape Coast, 30.05.1962, J. B. Hall 2328 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: The leaf sap is used as abortifacients and for the menstrual cycle; the seeds are used as laxatives, purgatives and enemas; the leaves are used in Medicine for treating pulmonary ailments; the leaves and roots are used as food, either cooked or uncooked (Burkill, 1985).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF88FFA3F695ED23FB1D3018.taxon	description	Annual, climbing herbs, with enlarged storage roots. Stems prostrate, often woody in the lower parts, cylindrical, more or less fistulose, muricate, with faint longitudinal ridges, ramified, glabrous. Leaves deeply palmately lobed, suborbicular in outline, 7 – 18 × 6 – 17 cm, base cordate, apex acuminate or obtuse and mucronulate, 5 – 7 lobed, the outer lobes sometimes bifid, margin entire, overall glabrous except puberulent below, near the base or sparsely pubescent along the main veins; petiole 3 – 15 cm long, glabrous or muricate. Inflorescences puberulent; peduncle cylindrical or slightly angular, 2.5 – 20 cm long; bracteoles oblong, caducous, 1 – 2 mm. Flower: pedicel cylindrical, 1.5 – 4.5 cm long, glabrous. Sepals subequal, suborbicular to broadly elliptic, 6 – 7 mm long, imbricate and appressed to the corolla tube, rounded to obtuse at the apex, coriaceous, margin hyaline, glabrous. Corolla funnel-shaped, 5 – 8 cm long, bright pink to whitish, with a purple darker center, glabrous, with a broad cylindrical tube, gradually opening up towards the apex, often with lobes deeply marked and spreading. Stamens included; filaments up to 2 cm long, widened and pubescent at the base; anthers 3 – 4 mm long, white, sagittate at the base. Ovary conical, 2 - locular, glabrous; style filiform, puberulous. Fruits ovoid, 10 – 15 × 8 – 15 mm, obtuse at the apex, 2 - locular, glabrous; seeds 5 – 7 mm, black, covered in long white silky hairs. Vernacular names: finger-leaf morning-glory (English), loviaton (Pèdah), akar lanar (Malay), kamkamóte (Philippines) (Prota, 2024). Flowering & fruiting: Produces flowers all year round (Heine, 1963). Habitat: Growing primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome; scattered throughout the tropics but rarely abundant (POWO, 2024). They can grow up to 150 m above sea-level. Distribution: Native in Tropical America and Africa, introduced in other tropical and subtropical regions (POWO, 2024). In Ghana, widespread: Greater Accra, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Volta, Eastern, Northern and Central regions (Fig. 2). Specimens examined (selected): GHANA, Greater Accra region, Legon Hill, 11.12.1955, C. D. Adams 3587 (GC); Ashanti region, Atewa Range F. R., alt. 2600 ’, 13.05.1967, Enti & Jenik 36454 (GC); Brong Ahafo region, Yeji on the Tamale Road, 13.08.1963, M. Ansa-Emmim & S. K. Adom-Boafo 245 (GC); Volta region, Chai River Forest Reserve, 8 o 06 ’ N, 0 o 24 ’ E, Alt 400 m, 22.05.1996, C. C. H. Jongkind & C. M. J. Nieuwenhuis 2806 (GC); Eastern region, Asamankese roadside, 01.01.1929, E. D. Plumptre 72 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: The plant is extensively used across Asia, especially for medicinal purposes: in Peninsular Malaysia, the root is pounded and applied to swellings; in India and the Philippines, the root is considered tonic, alterative, aphrodisiac, demulcent, lactagogue and cholagogue, and is used for fever and bronchitis; the powdered root is given for diseases of spleen and liver, for menorrhagia, debility and fat accumulation. In India, the seeds are also used for coagulating milk. The plant is also grown for ornamental purposes, and as a fodder for cattle (Prota, 2024). Notes: An American plant now widely distributed in the tropics of the Old World; naturalized in waste places and residential areas.	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF88FFA0F52EEA4CFC78375A.taxon	description	233): Iconotype, Dillenius, Hort. Eltham. 96, t. 80, f. 91. 1732. Annual herbs. Stems twining, terete, 1 mm in diam., pubescent with bristly simple whitish hairs. Leaf simple, entire or 3 - lobed, ovate to circular in outline, 4 – 14 × 3 – 13.5 cm, apex acuminate, base cordate, pubescent with appressed whitish simple hairs on both surfaces, denser below; petiole 1.5 – 4 cm long, densely villose with bristly simple whitish hairs. Inflorescence: peduncle 2 – 10 cm long, densely hirsute with whitish hairs; bracteoles linear to filiform, 5 – 8 mm long. Flower: pedicel 5 – 10 mm long, with similar pubescence to the peduncle. Sepals subequal, linear-lanceolate, 15 – 28 × 3.5 mm wide, densely pilose with spreading hairs, persistent in fruits. Corolla funnel-shaped, (4 –) 5 – 6 cm long, blue to mauve with paler tube, often white inside, glabrous. Stamens included; filaments unequal, the longest 20 – 22 mm long, the shortest 12 – 15 mm long, widened and pubescent with long hairs at the base; anthers oblong, base sagittate, 3 mm long. Ovary ovoid, 3 - locular, glabrous; style filiform; stigmas 2 - globose. Fruits ovoid to globose, 8 – 12 mm long, opening by 3 valves, glabrous, surmounted by the persisting base of the style, enclosed by the calyx; seed obovoidtrigonal, 4.5 – 6 mm long, black, puberulous with fine greyish hairs. Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and Fruits from September to December (Heine, 1963). Habitat: A climbing annual, growing primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome (POWO, 2024). They can grow up to elevations of 400 m. Distribution: Native in tropical and subtropical America (POWO, 2024), cultivated as ornamental, or escaped from cultivation elsewhere. In Ghana: Greater Accra and Brong Ahafo regions (Fig. 7). Specimens examined: GHANA, Greater Accra region, La Nkwantanang Madina, Legon Botanical Gardens, 19.10.1969, A. A. Enti 42762 (GC); Ibid., 25.10.1961, J. K. Morton 5010 (GC); Ibid., 16.10.1965, M. Abedi Lartey MAL / 1 (GC); Ashanti region, Bobiri F. R., 24.10.1963, A. A. Enti 35246 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: The seeds of Ipomoea nil are used as laxatives and purgatives (Burkill, 1985). In Indonesia, Ipomoea nil has environmental and social uses as animal food, poison and medicine and for food (POWO, 2024).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF8BFFA1F525ED0AFF5C335F.taxon	description	1958: 746): Iconotype, Dillenius in Hort. Eltham.: tab. 83, fig. 95. 1732. Perennial herbs. Stems prostrate to twining, filiform, cylindrical, nearly woody at base, pilose or glabrescent. Leaves entire or slightly undulate, ovate, rarely linear-oblong, 2.5 – 8.5 × 0.4 – 7.5 cm, cordate with rounded auricles at the base, acuminate or apiculate and mucronate at the apex, margins often ciliate, membranous, pubescent or glabrescent on both surfaces; petiole slender, pubescent or glabrescent, 1 – 11 cm long. Inflorescences 1 – 4 (– 5.5) cm long; peduncle 1 – 8 cm long, slender, glabrous, pubescent or thinly pilose; bracteoles triangular, acute, 1 – 2 mm long. Flower: pedicel 1 – 2 cm long, at first erect but in fruit relaxed and thickened towards the apex, sometimes minutely verrucose, glabrous or less commonly, pubescent or pilose. Sepals subequal, ovate, ovate-orbicular, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, apex acute or apiculate, 4 – 8 mm long, 1.7 – 4 mm long, often wrinkled or muricate, margin scarious, glabrous or pilose with long white trichomes, in fruit all somewhat accrescent, ultimately often spreading or reflexed, two outer sepals shorter, ovate, apex acute to shortly acuminate or mucronate, inner sepals ovate-elliptic, apex obtuse, occasionally mucronate. Corolla funnel-shaped, 1.5 – 2.5 cm long, yellow, orange, cream or white, with or without a dark purple centre, often weakly lobed, 3 – 4 cm in diameter, midpetaline bands sparsely pubescent at the apex. Stamens included; filaments unequal, two longer, three shorter, widened and pubescent at the base; anthers ovoid, base sagittate, 2 – 3 mm long. Ovary elongated to rounded, distinctly prolonged at apex, 2.8 – 5 mm long, glabrous, 2 - locular, 4 - ovuled; style filiform, 7 – 8 mm long, glabrous; stigmas 2 - globose. Fruits globoseovoid, 7 – 12 × 5 – 10 mm, glabrous, crowned by persistent style base; seeds ovoid, black, appressed pubescent, 4 – 5.5 mm long. Vernacular names: ododo oko, ododo owuro (Nigeria: Yoruba); Ògbànanì (Nigeria: Igbo) (Burkill, 1985). Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and Fruits from October to March (Heine, 1963). Habitat: In forests, shrub lands, and rocky areas, e. g., inland cliffs or mountain peaks at 500 – 2,200 m altitude (Demissew, 2006; Shimpale et al., 2012). Distribution: Native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia. In Ghana: Western, Central and Greater Accra regions (Fig. 8). Specimens examined: GHANA, Greater Accra region, between Achimota and Little Legon, 14.10.1955, C. D. Adams 3324 (GC); Legon village, 01.03.1931, F. R. Irvine 1598 (GC); Ayikuma to Shai Hills Road, 04.12.1952, J. K. Morton 8069 (GC); on top of Shai Hills, 8.01.1953, J. K. Morton 8274 (GC); Upper West region, Wa South, 25.05.1950, C. D. Adams 794 (GC). Conservation status: IUCN has formally assessed this species as Least Concern (Allen, 2017). Uses: The leaves are eaten as food (Burkill, 1985); it is also a widely cultivated ornamental (Allen, 2017).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF8AFFAEF695E908FF47341C.taxon	description	11: t. 57. Perennial herbs, woody at the base, glabrous, containing an abundant white sap. Stems stoloniferous, prostrate, fistulose, often purplish, glabrous to slightly puberulent. Leaves erect, slightly succulent, suborbicular to squareshaped, 3 – 10.5 × 3 – 12 cm, apex emarginate and mucronate or truncate, sometimes lobed, base cuneate to rounded or cordate, glabrous or very sparsely puberulent on both sides, margins entire; petiole 2 – 17 cm long, purplish, glabrous. Inflorescences: peduncle angular or flattened, 3 – 16 cm long, glabrous; bracteoles caducous, elliptic-ovate to narrowly elliptic-ovate, 3 – 3.5 mm. Flower: pedicel 1.2 – 4.5 cm long, glabrous. Sepals unequal, glabrous, the outer ones ovate to slightly elliptic, mucronate, 6 – 10 mm long, distinctively 3 – 5 - nerved, the inner ones larger, 8 – 15 mm long. Corolla funnel-shaped, pink or red purple with darker purple centre, 3 – 6 cm long, glabrous. Stamens unequal; filaments 5 – 9 mm long, widened and pilose at the base; anthers 4 – 4.5 mm long, sagittate at the base. Ovary globose to ovoid, 2 – 2.5 mm, 2 - locular, glabrous; style 12 – 20 mm; stigmas 2, globose. Fruits globose, 12 – 18 mm long, 4 - seeded or more, opening by 4 valves, glabrous; seeds black, trigonous-globose, 6 – 10 mm long, densely brownish tomentose. Vernacular names: bababarakora (Senegal: Madingue), npiiti (Nigeria: Yoruba), batatilla (Dominican Republic), bay hops, bay winders (Bahamas), bejuco de playa (Puerto Rico), boniato de playa (Cuba), patate lan mer (Dominican Republic), patate marron (Haiti), Goat’s foot Convolvulus (English), bejuco de playa (Spanish), pied de chèvre (French) (Prota, 2024). Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and Fruits between December to March (Heine, 1963). Habitat: Ipomoea pes-caprae is a pioneer coloniser of sand-dunes occurring throughout the seaboard of tropical regions (Prota, 2024). They can grow up to 100 m above sea level. Distribution: Tropical and subtropical coasts (POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Greater Accra and Western regions. Specimens examined (selected): GHANA, Greater Accra region, Near Labadi Lagoon, Shrub vegetation, 01.01.1933, F. R. Irvine 1962 (GC); Labadi beach, 23.01.1954, W. Woodall 16640 (GC); Western region, Beach near Axim, Shrub vegetation, 01.03.1934, F. R. Irvine 2565 (GC). Conservation status: IUCN has formally assessed this species as Least Concern (Bárrios & Copeland, 2021). Uses: The leaves are used to treat skin diseases (Burkill, 1985). The leaves are eaten as vegetables in Zanzibar, and also used for fodder / forage for pigs and cows in China; pulped leaves are rubbed on fishing nets in Malawi as a lure to entice the fish to enter. Extract from the stems used for strong anti-tumour action; leaves used as anodynal in rheumatism and emollient on ulcerous and other sores, diuretic and laxative (Brown & Frank, 2023).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF85FFAEF6ACEE48FB713540.taxon	description	Geophytic, slender trailing herbs; woody rootstock. Stems prostrate or climbing, densely covered in yellowish indumentum. Leaves simple, oblong-ovate to broadly lanceolate, (1.4 –) 2.5 – 5 × 1.2 – 2.2 cm, apex retuse to obtuse and rounded, sometimes mucronate, base auriculate, sparsely yellowish pubescent above, trichomes appressed to the leaf surface, densely white and yellowish tomentose below, with hairs concentrated on the veins and midrib; petiole 1.7 – 3 cm long, curved, densely pubescent with yellowish indumentum. Inflorescences: peduncle (1.1 –) 1.3 – 5.2 cm, densely tomentose, with whitish spreading hairs; bracteoles narrowly elliptic to linear, up to 7 mm, pubescent. Flower: pedicels 3 – 6 (– 13) mm long, slightly thicker than the peduncle, with similar pubescence. Sepals subequal, lanceolate to oblanceolate, slightly narrower at the base, densely white tomentose; outer ones 6 – 10 (– 12) × 4 – 8 mm; inner ones 6 × 1.5 – 2 mm. Corolla funnel-shaped, up to 2.8 cm long, rosy-purple to pale violet with white lobes, sparsely pubescent on the outside. Stamens included; filaments unequal, two longer ones of 9 mm, three shorter ones of 7 mm, gradually widening and weakly pubescent at the base. Ovary globose; style included, c. 14 mm long, glabrous; stigmas 2 - globose. Fruits globose, opening by 4 - valves, 5 – 6 mm in diameter, glabrous; seeds pubescent, 3 mm long. Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and Fruits from March to June (Heine, 1963). Habitat: In savanna woodland after fires and in sub-montane forest margins. They can grow up to 450 m above sea level. Distribution: West and Central Africa. In Ghana: Upper Eastern and Northern regions. New record for Ghana. Specimens examined: GHANA Northern region, Top of Damongo Scarp, Savannah woodland, 27.03.1953, J. K. Morton 8726 (GC); Upper Eastern region, On top of Gambaga hills, Savannah woodland, 05.05.1953, J. K. Morton 8967 (GC). Conservation assessment: Not evaluated.	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF85FFAFF525EF04FE5A3036.taxon	materials_examined	NETHERLANDS (cultivated), Clifford s. n. (BM [BM 000558077!]). Annual herbs. Stems twining or prostrate, slender, angular, longitudinally ridged, glabrous. Leaves pinnately compound, ovate to oblong in outline, 3.5 – 10 × 3 – 6 cm, glabrous, leaflets 8 – 19 per leaf, opposite to nearly so, linear to filiform, the two lower ones reflexed and bifid, glabrous; petiole 1 – 4 cm long, glabrous, with two leaflike, subsessile, pseudo-stipules at the base. Inflorescences: peduncle slender, 3 – 8 cm long, glabrous; bracteoles deciduous, triangular, 1 – 3 mm long. Flower: pedicel 1 – 2.5 (– 4.2) cm long, slightly thickened at the apex, glabrous. Sepals unequal, oblong to ovate-elliptic, apex obtuse and mucronate, glabrous, outer ones oblong, 4 – 5 mm long, inner ones ovate-elliptic, slightly longer, c. 6 mm long; corolla hypocrateriform, 2.5 – 5 cm long, scarlet red-pink, glabrous, with a cylindrical tube, slightly and gradually narrowed towards the base, corolla lobes spreading, broadly triangular, acute and mucronate. Stamens exserted; filaments of equal length, filiform, 19 – 23 mm, widened and pubescent at the base, inserted 4 – 5 mm above the base of the tube; anther 1 – 2 mm long, sagittate at the base. Ovary ovoid, c. 1.5 mm long, glabrous, 4 - locular; style filiform, 19 – 30 mm long, glabrous, widened and articulated at the base. Fruits ovoid to globose, c. 15 × c. 18 mm, opening by 4 valves, with persistent style; seed fusiform, blackish, sparsely pubescent. Vernacular names: pania oke (Marquesas Islands); batatilla (Panama); mayil manikkam (Southern India); ākāśamulla (Malayalam); tarulata, kamalata, kunjalata (Bangladesh), cypress vine (English), cheveux de Venus (French), regadero (Spanish) (Prota, 2024). Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and Fruits between February and June (Heine, 1963). Habitat: A climbing annual, growing primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome (POWO, 2024). They can grow up to elevations of 300 m. Distribution: Widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics, native from Mexico to Central America. In Ghana: Greater Accra, Ashanti and Volta regions (Fig. 6). New record for Ghana. Specimens examined: GHANA, Greater Accra Region, Achimota Garden, 5 ° 37 ’ 23 ” N, 0 ° 12 ’ 09 ” W, 02.02.1931, Asamany 4 (GC); Achimota near Mr. Ateku’s bungalow, 5 ° 36 ’ 27 ” N, 0 ° 14 ’ 03 ” W, 20.06.1935, G. K. Akpabla 310 (GC); Ashanti Region, Near Wesley College Kumasi, 6 ° 42 ’ 43 ” N, 1 ° 37 ’ 21 ” W, 27.04.1937, Onyeama 38 (GC); Volta region, Peki, 29.03.1955, E. D. Offori 34 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: The leaves are used for general healing, treatment for haemorrhoids and for food, stems and roots for treatment of physical weakness, abnormal behaviour, sinking of voice, bleeding from cuts and wounds, piles, snakebites and constipation (Burkill, 1985).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF84FFACF695EA9FFD5C3554.taxon	description	Wood et al., 2015: 20): INDIA, Silhet, Wallich 1421 (G [G 00227258!]; isolecto K [K 000097038], G [G 00134909!, G 00134950!, G 00134959!, G 00134972!]). Perennial herbs. Stems rather woody, finely striate when dry, terete, 1 – 3 mm in diameter, up to 4 m long, densely short-pilose with soft greyish hairs. Leaves entire or shallowly 3 - lobed, broadly ovate to circular, 5 – 15 × 4 – 12 cm, cordate with rounded auricles at the base, apex acuminate and mucronate, upper surface pubescent to densely villose, lower surface less densely pubescent to glabrous, with greyish hairs; 7 – 9 pairs of secondary veins; petiole slender 3 – 7 cm long, pilose like the stems. Inflorescences compact, subumbelliform, peduncle 2 – 15 cm long, cylindrical, pilose as the stems; bracteoles triangular, 3 – 7 mm long, pubescent, caducous. Flower: pedicel pilose, 5 – 17 mm long. Sepals subequal, ovate, apex obtuse or minutely mucronate, 6 – 8 (– 11) × 3 – 6 (– 10) mm, pilose at the apex but not ciliate, persistent in fruit; outer sepals ovate-deltoid, accrescent, to 16 mm in fruit, apex acute; inner sepals apex obtuse, margin distinctly hyaline. Corolla funnel-shaped, 4 – 5 cm long, purple or mauve with dark purple centre; limb 4 – 5 cm in diameter, sparsely pilose; midpetaline bands with silky long trichomes. Stamens included; filaments unequal, the longer ones 8 – 9 mm long, shorter ones c. 3 mm long, widened and pubescent at the base; anthers oblong, c. 2 mm long, base sagittate. Ovary glabrous, 2 - locular, 4 - ovuled; style filiform, 15 – 17 mm long; stigmas 2 - globose. Fruits globose, 12 – 13 mm in diam., opening by 4 valves, glabrous; seeds ovoid, 6 – 9 mm, densely pilose, with white or yellowish hairs c. 2.5 mm long. Vernacular names: Otjiherero, otjinatjoruhona (Namibia) (GonÇalves, 1987). Flowering & fruiting: Flowering and fruiting throughout the year. Habitat: Ipomoea rubens occurs in humid, subhumid, and dry freshwater wetlands (Demissew, 2006). They can grow up to elevations of 300 m. Distribution: Native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia. In Ghana: Brong Ahafo, Greater Accra, Northern, Volta and Central regions (Fig. 8). Specimens examined: GHANA, Northern Region, White Volta at Daboya Tamale, 16.01.1996, A. A. Ente & C. W. Agyakwa VBS 419 (GC); Greater Accra region, Accra plains, little lake Volta, 6 o 09 ’ 48 ’’ N, 0 o 03 ’ 54 ’’ E, alt. 50 m, 12.11.1994, C. C. H. Jongkind, D. Abbiw & C. M. Markwei 1855 (GC); Brong Ahafo region, Yeji, 11.04.1964, J. B. Hall 1299 (GC); Ibid., 13.08.1963, B. K. Adom Boafo & M. Ansa-Emmim VBS 191 (GC); Ibid., 19.05.1965, A. A. Ente & C. W. Agyakwa VBS 2115 (GC). Conservation status: IUCN has formally assessed this species as Least Concern (Ghogue, 2020). Uses: The leaves, shoots, and leafy stems are eaten by primates such as chimpanzees (Calabuig, 2014).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF87FFACF6ACEF70FBA03165.taxon	description	Perennial herbs, with a tap root. Stems prostrate, angular when young, becoming cylindrical, striate, fistulose, reddish, glabrous for the most part, puberulent at the insertion of the petiole. Leaves simple, 5 – 7.5 (– 12) × 4.5 – 7.5 (– 11) cm, base cordate, apex acuminate and apiculate, margin entire, texture glabrous, covered with blackish dots on the lower surface, sparsely pubescent, especially along the veins, on both faces, petiole 2.5 – 3.6 cm long, glabrous. Inflorescences: peduncle 2 – 5 cm long; bracteoles deciduous, narrowly ovate-elliptic, 3 – 10 mm long, glabrous, with hyaline margin. Flower: pedicel 2 – 5 cm long, glabrous for the most part, base pubescent. Sepals elliptic, imbricate, unequal, apex obtuse; outer ones shorter, 8 – 12 mm, with hyaline margin; inner ones longer, 12 – 15 mm. Corolla magentapink, narrowly funnel-shaped, 3.5 – 6 cm, entirely glabrous, base of the tube very narrow, with 2 – 2.5 mm of diam. Stamens included; filaments unequal, 11 – 16 mm, widened and pubescent at the base; anther ovoid, c. 3 mm long, sagittate at the base, obtuse at the apex. Ovary 2 or 4 - locular, glabrous; style 3 cm long, glabrous. Fruits 2.4 – 2.5 × 1.1 – 1.6 cm, surface striate, enclosed by the accrescent sepals, up to 22 mm long; seeds ovoid, 3.7 – 9 mm long, puberulent, especially around the hilum. Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and Fuits between November and February (Heine, 1963). Habitat: Granite rocks in woodland and edges of swamps. They can grow up to 200 m above sea-level. Distribution: West Tropical Africa, and Uganda (POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Brong Ahafo region (Fig. 4). Specimens examined: GHANA, Brong Ahafo region, Nsemre F. R., between Borku and Anka, 20.12.1954, C. D. Adams 2843 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Notes: Ipomoea stenobasis Brenan was described from a plant cultivated at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, grown from seeds presumably collected in Ondo Province, Nigeria (R. W. J. Keay 22674; K 000097034). In the protologue, Brenan (1950) also included Ugandan specimens as conspecific with the Nigerian material, despite the geographic disjunction, noting the possibility of discovering intermediate populations. A Ugandan specimen (Maitland 577) was selected as the type, a designation later supported by Verdcourt (1963). The fruit and seed descriptions in the protologue were based on Ugandan material (Chandler 983, Maitland 206). However, Brenan’s annotation on the Nigerian specimen (Keay 22674) suggests its seeds differed from Ugandan ones, potentially warranting varietal recognition. This intricate nomenclature and taxonomic circumscription of the species I. stenobasis suggests that it may need a revision at broad geographic scale, to clarify the morphological and geographic circumscription of the species and whether only one – or more – species are involved.	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF87FFADF525EB61FC7E373D.taxon	description	Icon in Sloane, Voy. Jamaica 1: t. 97, f. 1. 1707. Annual herbs. Stem prostate, glabrous or puberulous, especially on the nodes. Leaves simple, broadly ovate to circular in outline, 2.4 – 7.5 × 3 – 6.4 cm, apex attenuate, base cordate, margin coarsely dentate to deeply 3 - lobed, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; petiole angular, 2.5 – 6 cm long, glabrous, sometimes tuberculate. Inflorescences umbelliform, peduncle (1 –) 2.5 – 5.5 cm long, angular, verruculose at the apex, glabrous; bracteoles lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 1 – 2 mm long, glabrous. Flower: pedicel 5 – 8 mm long, sometimes angular, verruculose, pubescent at the base. Sepals subequal, 5 – 8 mm; outer sepals oblong, slightly shorter; inner sepals elliptic-oblong, all glabrous or sparsely pilose outside, margins fimbriate, apex obtuse or acute, mucronulate. Corolla funnel-shaped, 1.5 – 2 cm, pink or mauve, with dark purple center, glabrous; limb obtusely 5 - pointed. Stamens included. Ovary pubescent. Fruits spherical to ovoid, globose, 3 – 10 mm long, 5 – 9 mm wide; opening by 4 - valves; seeds spherical, rounded, 2 – 3.5 mm long, dark brown, glabrous. Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and Fruits from December to May (Heine, 1963). Habitat: The species is found in grasslands, upland cultivated fields, roadsides, waste lands and disturbed sites; it is a climbing annual or perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome (CABI, 2021). This species can be found growing up to 160 m above sea-level. Distribution: Native from Mexico to Brazil, and Caribbean (Alencar et al., 2021; POWO, 2024). In Ghana: Greater Accra and Eastern regions (Fig. 7). New record for Ghana. Specimens examined: GHANA, Eastern region, Kade Agricultural Research Station, 6 o 8 ’ 28 ” N, 00 o 53 ’ 56 ” W, alt. 200 m, 22.12.1996, H. H. Schimdt, M. Merello, J. Amponsah & M. Chintoh 2271 (MO, GC); Greater Accra, Maamobi, 04.05.1976, J. B. Hall 43692 (GC). Conservation status: Least Concern (Contreras & Wood, 2019). Uses: The whole plant is used as painkillers (Burkill, 1985).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF86FFAAF52EEDA9FDA43018.taxon	description	s. d., J. J. da Silva s. n. (holo P [P 00150787!]; iso P [P 00150788!]). Shrubs, or stout lianas, with an enlarged storage root. Stems suberect to climbing, subcylindrical, longitudinally striate, white or yellow tomentose in young state, becoming sparsely pubescent to glabrous with age. Leaves ovate to suborbicular, 4 – 15 × 3 – 17 cm, apex rounded to retuse and shortly apiculate, base cordate to truncate, margin entire to slightly sinuate, adaxial face finely pubescent, abaxial face densely floccose tomentose, white to greyish; petiole 2 – 10 cm, pubescent, carrying 2 glands at the insertion of the leaf lamina. Inflorescences: peduncle 1 – 3 cm, tomentose as the stem; bracteoles slightly unequal, linear-oblong, up to 2 cm long, tomentose, carinate. Flower: pedicel c. 1 cm long, pubescent. Sepals subequal, broadly elliptic, coriaceous, pubescent; outer ones 11 – 16 × 6 – 8 mm; inner ones 13 – 17 × (5 –) 7 mm. Corolla broadly tubular, 6 – 12 cm long, pink, mauve or white, with darker purple center, glabrous. Stamens of equal length, up to 6 cm long, widened and pubescent at the base; anther narrowly obloid, 6 – 12 mm long, sagittate at the base. Ovary ovoid, 2.5 – 3 mm long, 2 - locular, 4 - celled, glabrous; style filiform, 4.6 – 8 (– 8.5) cm long; stigmas 2, globose. Fruits oblong ovoid, opening by 4 - valves, glabrous, completely enclosed by the persisting coriaceous sepals; seeds ovoid, 6 – 8 mm, brown, densely pubescent, covered in long cottony white hairs. Vernacular names: damara creeper (English); damarawinde (German). In Namibia, known by several names: ‘ hoan (Ju), n! ’ huru (Kungbushmen); engamukuiju (Kwanyama); engamukuiyu (Oshikwanyama); engamukuiyu (Oshiwambo); otjindwapa (Otjiherero) (Verdcourt, 1963; Prota, 2024). Flowering & fruiting: Reported to flower at different times of the year in different countries; in Southern Africa, reported to flower from November to March; in Namibia, it flowers in midsummer (Prota, 2024). Habitat: Often found growing in woodlands, open grassland, at elevations from 490 – 1,525 m; some populations can be found in forests, also in subhumid, dry, subarid environments. Distribution: Native to and occurs in Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Caprivi Strip, Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe. In Ghana: Ashanti region and Brong Ahafo region (Fig. 1). Specimens examined: GHANA, Northern region, Konkori, Mole National Park, 28.07.1976, Hall & Lack 46265 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: The root can be used to obtain refreshing or lifesaving water (to quench thirst): the root is grated, the shavings put in one hand, squeezed and the liquid let to run down along the thumb right into the mouth; however, the liquid is said to negatively affect one’s ability to move and as a result one is forced to wait until the side effects wear off, for which there may be a slightly narcotic or paralysing effect; the Tswana people of Southern African countries pound the root in milk to make a potion for anorexia and poor weight gain. It is also used as food for bucks, especially antelope species (Prota, 2024).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
DA708788FF81FFAAF6ACEA4CFB8F30B0.taxon	description	1733. Perennial, glabrous, herbs. Stems woody at the base, twining or prostrate, often longitudinally wrinkled, but otherwise smooth. Leaves simple, cordate, circular or ovate, 5 – 16 × 5 – 14 cm, apex acuminate, mucronate, rounded or rarely angular, base cordate, glabrous; petiole glabrous, 3.2 – 11 cm. Inflorescences: peduncle 2.5 – 4.5 (– 7) cm. Sepals subcircular, equal or outer two shorter, 1.5 – 2.5 cm, margins hyaline, coriaceous, apex obtuse or emarginate, mucronulate. Flower opens in night: pedicel 1.5 – 5 cm, thickened in fruit. Corolla salver-shaped or very narrowly funnel-shaped, white or pale greenish yellow, with green midpetaline bands, 9 – 12 cm long, glabrous. Staminal filaments inserted near the base of the corolla tube. Ovary glabrous; stigma 2 - globose. Fruits ovoid to globose, opening by 4 - valves, glabrous, pale brown, 2 – 2.5 cm; seeds sub-trigonous, 1 – 1.2 cm long, black, densely short tomentose, edges with c. 3 mm long sericeous hairs. Vernacular names: beach moonflower, sea moonflower (English) (Michaels, 2022). Flowering & fruiting: Flowers and Fruits from March to May (Heine, 1963). Habitat: Coastal bushland; beaches, seaside thickets, edges of brackish rivers and lagoons; near sea-level to 100 m (Heine, 1963). Distribution: Native to tropical and subtropical coasts. In Ghana: Western region (Fig. 7). Specimens examined: GHANA, Western region, Axim, strand vegetation near beach, 01.03.1934, F. R. Irvine 2565 (GC); Ibid., 01.04.1965, J. K. Morton A 2092 (GC); Ibid., 19.05.1956, J. K. Morton 2092 (GC); Shama, 15.05.1965, D. Hall 2982 (GC). Conservation status: Not evaluated. Uses: The seed contains small quantities of the hallucinogen LSD, this has been used medicinally in the treatment of various mental disorders; the leaves and the tuber serve as food (Alencer et al., 2021; Michaels, 2022).	en	B. D., Williams, R. C., Francisco, B., Mewded, C. P., Oppong, C. B., Ayensu, C. W., Masinde, D. B., Chukwuma, A. G., Deresa, D. D., Yeboah, F., Rasaminirina, U. P., Igho-Osagie, M. J., Korir, K. B., Antwi-Boasiako, R. A., Mfodwo, A. S. M., Mutegeki, P., Atta-Adjei, P. K., Akomatey, S., Kumordzie, R., Borosova, C., Tang, A., Asase, G., Ameka, Simões, A. R. G. (2024): Advancing knowledge of West African morning glories: a taxonomic account of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from Ghana. Rheedea 34 (5): 397-429, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.05.05
