Ipomoea alba, sometimes called the moonflower (but not to be confused with the other species also called moonflower) or moon vine, is a species of night-blooming morning-glory, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the New World, from northern Argentina north to Mexico and Florida. Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Orders See text. ... Families at least the following: Solanaceae Convolvulaceae and others, varying between classification systems; for details see text The Solanales are an order of flowering plants, included in the asterid group of dicotyledons. ... Type genus Convolvulus L. Genera See text The Convolvulaceae, known commonly as the bindweed or morning glory family, is a group of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species of mostly herbaceous vines, but also trees, shrubs and herbs. ... Species I. alba- Moonflower I. aquatica- Water spinach I. batatas- Sweet potato I. purpurea I. violacea - Beach morning glory The Genus Ipomoea, with over 500 species, is the largest genus in the Family Convolvulaceae. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Moonflower is the common name for several night-blooming plants, some with white flowers, including: Ipomoea species (previously separated into their own genus Calonyction), including I. alba and Datura species, including D. inoxia This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Species I. alba- Moonflower I. aquatica- Water spinach I. batatas- Sweet potato I. purpurea I. violacea - Beach morning glory The Genus Ipomoea, with over 500 species, is the largest genus in the Family Convolvulaceae. ... Frontispiece of Peter Martyr dAnghieras De orbe novo (On the New World). Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, 1722. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ...

It is a perennial herbaceous liana growing to a height of 5-30 m tall with twining stems. The leaves are entire or three-lobed, 5-15 cm long, with a 5-20 cm long stem. The flowers are fragrant, white or pink, and large, 8-14 cm diameter. The flowers open quickly in the evening and last through the night, remaining open until touched by the morning sun. Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... Liana tangle across a forest in the Western Ghats. ... Look up foliage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up flower in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The name Moonflower derives because they bloom in the evening, and are round in shape like a full moon.

Historical use

The ancient Mesoamerican civilizations used the Ipomoea alba morning glory to convert the latex from the Castilla elastica tree and the guayule plant to produce bouncing rubber balls. The sulphur in this morning glory served to vulcanize the rubber, a process pre-dating Charles Goodyear's discovery by at least 3,000 years.[1] Mesoamerica is the region extending from central Mexico south to the northwestern border of Costa Rica that gave rise to a group of stratified, culturally related agrarian civilizations spanning an approximately 3,000-year period before the European discovery of the New World by Columbus. ... For other uses, see latex (disambiguation). ... Castilla elastica (genus Castilla) is a tree native to the tropical areas of Mexico and Central America which was, in pre-Columbian times, the principal source of latex among the MesoAmerican peoples. ... Binomial name Parthenium argentatum L. Guayule (Parthenium argentatum), pronounced wa-YOO-lee, is a shrub in the genus Parthenium of the family Asteraceae, native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... For the chemical element see: sulfur. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Charles Goodyear, as illustrated in an 1891 Scientific American article Charles Spencer Goodyear (December 29, 1800 - July 1, 1860) was the first American to vulcanize rubber, a process which he discovered in 1839 and patented on June 15, 1844. ...

Cultivation

The species is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant for its flowers. In areas too cold for winter survival, it can be grown as an annual plant. Propagation is usually by seed. The seed should be nicked with a file and then soaked overnight before planting. In some areas it is an invasive species which can cause problems in agricultural settings. Petunia This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Peas are an annual plant. ... Lantana invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel The term invasive species refers to a subset of introduced species or non-indigenous species that are rapidly expanding outside of their native range. ...

References

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Ipomoea alba