Ipomoea cairica

"Railroad Creeper" redirects here; not to be confused with I. dumetorum.

Ipomoea cairica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Convolvulaceae
Genus:	Ipomoea
Species:	I. cairica
Binomial name
Ipomoea cairica Sweet
Synonyms
Ipomoea palmata Forssk. Ipomoea stipulacea Jacq. Ipomoea tuberculata (Desr.) Roem. & Schult. (non Ker Gawl.: preoccupied)

Ipomoea cairica morning glory has many common names, including Mile-a-minute Vine, Messina Creeper, Cairo Morning Glory, Coast Morning Glory and Railroad Creeper. This vining perennial has palmate leaves and large, showy white to lavender flowers. Each fruit matures at about 1 cm across and contains hairy seeds.

Its native range is uncertain, though it is believed to originate from a rather wide area, ranging from Cape Verde to the Arabian Peninsula, including northern Africa.

Because of human dispersal, it occurs today on most continents as an introduced species and is sometimes a noxious weed. It is a major problem along the coast of New South Wales. In the United States it occurs in Hawaii, California, all the gulf coast states, as well as Arkansas and Missouri.

Some plant nurseries sell this plant as an ornamental.

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External links

Media related to Ipomoea cairica at Wikimedia Commons

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• GRIN Species Profile
• Ipomoea cairica Flowers in Israel