Ipomoea obscura

Simões, A. R., Silva, H. & Silveira, P., 2011, The Convolvulaceae of Timor with special reference to East Timor, Blumea 56 (1), pp. 49-72 : 60

13. Ipomoea obscura (L.) Ker Gawl. — Map 10

Ipomoea obscura (L.) Ker Gawl.(1817) t. 239;Decne.(1834) 392;Miq. (1856) 611; Fawc. (1885) 511; Ooststr. (in Ooststr. & Hoogland 1953) 471; Kalkman (1955) 216.

Convolvulus obscurus L. (1762) 220.

Ipomoea insuavis Blume (1826) 716.

Distribution — East tropical Africa, Mascarene Islands, tropical Asia, throughout Malesia to North Australia and Fiji (Van Ooststroom & Hoogland 1953).

Habitat & Ecology — In grasslands, thickets, hedges, thin forests, waysides, waste ground; occasionally on sandy soil near the sea; from sea level to 1 300 m (Van Ooststroom & Hoogland 1953). Specimens from Timor were collected at 750–760 m.

Uses — Leaves, together with those of Argyreia mollis (Burm.f.) Choisy , are used against sores (Heynes in Van Ooststroom & Hoogland 1953). Watt (1890) noted that in India, the leaves when toasted, powdered and boiled with a certain portion of ghí were considered a valuable application in aphthous infections.

Figures

Map 10 Distribution of Ipomoea obscura (L.) Ker Gawl, (5) I. ochracea (Lindl.) G.Don ($) and I. pes­caprae (L.) R.Br. subsp. brasiliensis (L.) Ooststr. (-).