Taxon: Ipomoea littoralis Blume

Summary

Genus:

Ipomoea

Subgenus:

Eriospermum

Section:

Eriospermum

Series:

Batatas

Family:

Convolvulaceae

Tribe:

Ipomoeeae

Nomen number:

20169

Place of publication:

Bidjr. 713. 1826

Comment:

= Ipomoea gracilis auct. pl. (non I. gracilis R. Br.)

Verified:

11/29/1989 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

3 (2 active, 1 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Invalid Designation(s)
Ipomoea gracilis auct. pl.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Austin, D. F. & Z. Huáman. 1996. A synopsis of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the Americas. Taxon 45:8.
Austin, D. F. et al. 1993. Ipomoea gracilis R. Brown (Convolvulaceae) and its allies. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 120:55.
Austin, D. F. 1978. The Ipomoea batatas complex - I. Taxonomy. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 105:122.
Austin, D. F. 1991. Ipomoea littoralis (Convolvulaceae) – taxonomy, distribution, and ethnobotany. Econ. Bot. 45:251-256.
Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Ipomoea gracilis R. Br.
Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
Diaz, J. et al. 1996. Polygon of crossability between eleven species of Ipomoea: section Batatas (Convolvulaceae). Euphytica 88:189-200. Note: Netherlands journal of plant breeding
Fosberg, F. R. & M.-H. Sachet. 1975-. Flora of Micronesia, Smithsonian Contr. Bot.
Fosberg, F. R. et al. 1979-1982. Geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae/ Pteridophyta and Gymnospermae.
Fosberg, F. R.& M.-H. Sachet. 1977. Flora of Micronesia, 3. Convolvulaceae. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 36:14.
Gao, M. et al. 2011. Wx intron variations support an allohexaploid origin of the sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.]. Euphytica 177:111-133. Note: this study included one USDA (PI 573335) accession of Ipomoea littoralis
Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11.
Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
Jarrett, R. L. et al. 1992. Phylogenetic relationships of the sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.]. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 117:633-637.
Kobayashi, R. S. et al. 1994. Interspecific hybrids from cross incompatible relatives of sweetpotato. Euphytica 80:159-164. Note: this study mentioned one USDA ("Ac. 79.5") shoot cutting of a tetraploid Ipomoea batatas later once mentioned as I. littoralis; this plant was used as a female parent for crosses with a hybrid of I. triloba × I. lacunosa that resulted in viable seeds
Li, H. L. et al., eds. 1975-1979. Flora of Taiwan. Note: = Ipomoea gracilis R. Br.
Merrill, E. D. 1922-1926. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants. Note: = Ipomoea gracilis R. Br.
Nimmakayala, P. et al. 2011. Ipomoea. In: Kole, C., ed., Wild crop relatives: genomic and breeding resources, industrial crops 7:123-132.
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Roullier, C. et al. 2013. Disentangling the origins of cultivated sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.). PLoS One 8: e62707.
Smith, A. C. 1979-1991. Flora vitiensis nova.
Steenis, C. G. G. J. van, ed. 1948-. Flora malesiana. Note: = Ipomoea gracilis R. Br.
The Missouri Botanical Garden with others. A Catalogue of the vascular plants of Madagascar (on-line resource).
Wagner, W. L. et al. Flora of the Hawaiian Islands (on-line resource).
Walker, E. 1976. Flora of Okinawa and the southern Ryukyu Islands.
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	coastal morning-glory	1	Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
English	white-flower beach morning-glory	1	Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
Japanese Rōmaji	sokobeni-hirugao	2	Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Madagascar		coastal	The Missouri Botanical Garden with others. A Catalogue of the vascular plants of Madagascar (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Mauritius		coastal	Austin, D. F. 1991. Ipomoea littoralis (Convolvulaceae) – taxonomy, distribution, and ethnobotany. Econ. Bot. 45:251-256.
1	Native	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Seychelles			Austin, D. F. 1991. Ipomoea littoralis (Convolvulaceae) – taxonomy, distribution, and ethnobotany. Econ. Bot. 45:251-256.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Hainan Sheng		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Ryukyu Islands		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Taiwan			Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India		coastal	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Sri Lanka			Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Cambodia		coastal	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Myanmar			Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Thailand		coastal	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia		Malaya	Steenis, C. G. G. J. van, ed. 1948-. Flora malesiana. Note: = Ipomoea gracilis R. Br.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Philippines			Steenis, C. G. G. J. van, ed. 1948-. Flora malesiana. Note: = Ipomoea gracilis R. Br.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Papuasia	Indonesia	Papua		Steenis, C. G. G. J. van, ed. 1948-. Flora malesiana. Note: = Ipomoea gracilis R. Br.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Papuasia	Papua New Guinea		coastal	Steenis, C. G. G. J. van, ed. 1948-. Flora malesiana. Note: = Ipomoea gracilis R. Br.
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Queensland	e.	Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11.
1	Native	Pacific	North-Central Pacific	United States	Hawaii		Wagner, W. L. et al. Flora of the Hawaiian Islands (on-line resource).
1	Native	Pacific	Northwestern Pacific	Micronesia			Fosberg, F. R. et al. 1979-1982. Geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae/ Pteridophyta and Gymnospermae.
1	Native	Pacific	Northwestern Pacific	United States	Guam		Fosberg, F. R. et al. 1979-1982. Geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae/ Pteridophyta and Gymnospermae.
1	Native	Pacific	Northwestern Pacific	United States	Northern Mariana Islands		Austin, D. F. 1991. Ipomoea littoralis (Convolvulaceae) – taxonomy, distribution, and ethnobotany. Econ. Bot. 45:251-256.
1	Native	Pacific	South-Central Pacific	French Polynesia			Fosberg, F. R. et al. 1979-1982. Geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae/ Pteridophyta and Gymnospermae.
1	Native	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Fiji			Smith, A. C. 1979-1991. Flora vitiensis nova.
1	Native	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Kiribati	Gilbert Islands		Fosberg, F. R.& M.-H. Sachet. 1977. Flora of Micronesia, 3. Convolvulaceae. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 36:14.
1	Native	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	New Caledonia			Austin, D. F. 1991. Ipomoea littoralis (Convolvulaceae) – taxonomy, distribution, and ethnobotany. Econ. Bot. 45:251-256.

Native
Africa

WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Madagascar (coastal), Mauritius (coastal), Seychelles

Asia-Temperate

CHINA: China [Hainan Sheng]
EASTERN ASIA: Japan [Ryukyu Islands], Taiwan

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India (coastal), Sri Lanka
PAPUASIA: Indonesia [Papua], Papua New Guinea (coastal)
INDO-CHINA: Cambodia (coastal), Myanmar, Thailand (coastal)
MALESIA: Malaysia (Malaya), Philippines

Australasia

AUSTRALIA: Australia [Queensland (e.)]

Pacific

NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: United States [Hawaii]
NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Micronesia, United States [Guam, Northern Mariana Islands]
SOUTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: French Polynesia
SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Fiji, Kiribati [Gilbert Islands], New Caledonia

Reference(s)

Austin, D. F. 1991. Ipomoea littoralis (Convolvulaceae) – taxonomy, distribution, and ethnobotany. Econ. Bot. 45:251-256.
Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
Fosberg, F. R. et al. 1979-1982. Geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae/ Pteridophyta and Gymnospermae.
Fosberg, F. R.& M.-H. Sachet. 1977. Flora of Micronesia, 3. Convolvulaceae. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 36:14.
Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11.
Smith, A. C. 1979-1991. Flora vitiensis nova.
Steenis, C. G. G. J. van, ed. 1948-. Flora malesiana. Note: = Ipomoea gracilis R. Br.
The Missouri Botanical Garden with others. A Catalogue of the vascular plants of Madagascar (on-line resource).
Wagner, W. L. et al. Flora of the Hawaiian Islands (on-line resource).
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Human food	vegetable	mostly as famine food in Micronesia	Austin, D. F. 1991. Ipomoea littoralis (Convolvulaceae) – taxonomy, distribution, and ethnobotany. Econ. Bot. 45:251-256.

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=20169. Accessed 12 May 2026.