Taxon:  Ipomoea triloba L.



Summary
Genus:
Ipomoea
Subgenus:
Eriospermum
Section:
Eriospermum
Series:
Batatas
Family:
Convolvulaceae
Tribe:
Ipomoeeae
Nomen number:
20232
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 1:161.  1753
Verified:
04/05/1993 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
38 (36  active, 34  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Images (3 total. Click on image for more.)
Embryo drawing

Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
  2. Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource). Note: native
  3. Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
  4. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  5. Austin, D. F. & Z. Huáman. 1996. A synopsis of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the Americas. Taxon 45:12.
  6. Austin, D. F. 1978. The Ipomoea batatas complex - I. Taxonomy. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 105:127.
  7. Backer, C. A. & R. C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Jr. 1963-1968. Flora of Java.
  8. Baldwin, B. G. et al., eds. The Jepson manual: vascular plants of California (on-line resource).
  9. Berhaut, J. 1971-. Flore illustrée du Senegal.
  10. Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae.
  11. Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
  12. Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas
  13. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
  14. Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
  15. Eserman, L. A. et al. 2020. (2786) Proposal to change the conserved type of Ipomoea, nom. cons. (Convolvulaceae). Taxon 69:1369-1371. DOI: 10.1002/tax.12400. Note: Ipomoea trifida, a member of the same clade as the sweet-potato, is proposed as type of the genus
  16. Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource). Note: naturalized
  17. Fosberg, F. R. et al. 1979-1982. Geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae/ Pteridophyta and Gymnospermae.
  18. Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
  19. Harling, G. & B. Sparre, eds. 1973-. Flora of Ecuador.
  20. Holm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds
  21. Holm, L. et al. 1997. World weeds: natural histories and distribution John Wiley & Sons, New York, New York. 421.
  22. Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
  23. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
  24. Kobayashi, R. S. et al. 1994. Interspecific hybrids from cross incompatible relatives of sweetpotato. Euphytica 80:159-164. Note: Netherlands journal of plant breeding
  25. Lebot, V. 2010. Chapter 3. Sweet Potato. In: Bradshaw, J. E., ed., Handbook of Plant Breeding. Root and Tuber Crops. 7 104, 120.
  26. León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
  27. Li, H. L. et al., eds. 1975-1979. Flora of Taiwan.
  28. Long, R. W. & O. Lakela. 1971. A flora of tropical Florida.
  29. Merrill, E. D. 1922-1926. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants.
  30. Munz, P. A. 1974. A flora of southern California.
  31. Nimmakayala, P. et al. 2011. Chapter 7. Ipomoea. In: Kole, C., ed., Wild crop relatives: genomic and breeding resources, industrial crops 123-132.
  32. Plant Protection and Quarantine Office. United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Federal noxious weed list (on-line resource).
  33. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  34. Roullier, C. et al. 2013. Disentangling the origins of cultivated sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.). PLoS One 8: e62707.
  35. Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
  36. Shreve, F. & I. L. Wiggins. 1964. Vegetation and flora of the Sonoran desert.
  37. Spellman, D. L. et al. 1975, 1981. A list of the monocotyledoneae/dicotyledonae of Belize. Rhodora v. 77 & 83.
  38. Srisuwan, S. et al. 2006. The origin and evolution of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas Lam.) and its wild relatives through the cytogenetic approaches. Pl. Sci. (Elsevier) 171:424-433.
  39. Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
  40. Standley, P. C. 1937-1939. Flora of Costa Rica.
  41. Walker, E. 1976. Flora of Okinawa and the southern Ryukyu Islands.
  42. Wiggins, I. L. 1980. Flora of Baja California.
  43. Wood, J. R. I. et al. 2020. A foundation monograph of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the New World. PhytoKeys 143:1-823. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.143.32821. Note: a pantropical species mainly found in islands and disturbed sites; it has been confused with Ipomoea grandifolia
  44. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishlittle-bell  1Plant Protection and Quarantine Office. United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Federal noxious weed list (on-line resource).
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoCampeche Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoChiapas Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoGuerrero Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoJalisco Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoMichoacán de Ocampo Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoNayarit Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoOaxaca Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoQuerétaro Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoQuintana Roo Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoVeracruz de Ignacio de la Llave Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
1NativeNorthern AmericaSouthern MexicoMexicoYucatán Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanBahamas  Austin, D. F. & Z. Huáman. 1996. A synopsis of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the Americas. Taxon 45:12.
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanCuba  Austin, D. F. & Z. Huáman. 1996. A synopsis of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the Americas. Taxon 45:12.
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanDominican Republic  Austin, D. F. & Z. Huáman. 1996. A synopsis of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the Americas. Taxon 45:12.
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanHaiti  Austin, D. F. & Z. Huáman. 1996. A synopsis of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the Americas. Taxon 45:12.
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanJamaica  Austin, D. F. & Z. Huáman. 1996. A synopsis of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the Americas. Taxon 45:12.
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanTrinidad and Tobago  Austin, D. F. & Z. Huáman. 1996. A synopsis of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the Americas. Taxon 45:12.
1NativeSouthern AmericaCentral AmericaBelize  Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1NativeSouthern AmericaCentral AmericaGuatemala  Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1NativeSouthern AmericaCentral AmericaHonduras  Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaColombia  Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaEcuador  Harling, G. & B. Sparre, eds. 1973-. Flora of Ecuador.
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateChinaChina  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaJapan  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
4NaturalizedAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaTaiwan  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentSri Lanka  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaThailand  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaVietnam  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesia  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalMalesiaPhilippines  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesFlorida Long, R. W. & O. Lakela. 1971. A flora of tropical Florida.
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSouthwestern U.S.A.United StatesCalifornia Baldwin, B. G. et al., eds. The Jepson manual: vascular plants of California (on-line resource).
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazil  Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource). Note: naturalized
4NaturalizedSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaPeru  Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
6Other    probable origin West IndiesWu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Native
Northern America
  • SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán de Ocampo, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]
Southern America
  • CARIBBEAN: Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago
  • CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras
  • WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia, Ecuador
Naturalized
Asia-Temperate
  • CHINA: China
  • EASTERN ASIA: Japan, Taiwan
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Sri Lanka
  • INDO-CHINA: Thailand, Vietnam
  • MALESIA: Indonesia, Philippines
Northern America
  • SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Florida]
  • SOUTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [California]
Southern America
  • BRAZIL: Brazil
  • WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Peru
Other (probable origin West Indies)

Reference(s)
  1. Austin, D. F. & Z. Huáman. 1996. A synopsis of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the Americas. Taxon 45:12.
  2. Baldwin, B. G. et al., eds. The Jepson manual: vascular plants of California (on-line resource).
  3. Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
  4. Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource). Note: naturalized
  5. Harling, G. & B. Sparre, eds. 1973-. Flora of Ecuador.
  6. Long, R. W. & O. Lakela. 1971. A flora of tropical Florida.
  7. Rzedowski, J. & G. Rzedowski, eds. 1991-. Flora del Bajio y de regiones adyacentes.
  8. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Bee plantshoney production Holm, L. et al. 1997. World weeds: natural histories and distribution John Wiley & Sons, New York, New York. 421.
Weedseed contaminantpotentialHolm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=20232. Accessed 15 April 2026.