Ipomoea hederifolia L.
Scarlet creeper, scarlet morning glory, star ipomoea, trompillo, ivy-leaved morning glory
Scarlet creeper is native to the southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. It has become naturalized in many other parts of the world.
Plants: Vines, with thin hairless or slightly hairy stems, 3–4′ (91–121 cm) tall, and may trail horizontally up to 10′ (3 m).
Leaves: Alternate, heart shaped, often deeply lobed into 3 to as many as 7 segments, ¾–6″ (2–15 cm) around, with smooth edges and sharp tips.
Flowers: Trumpet-shaped, in small clusters, with a 1½″ (3.8 cm) long thin throat that flares suddenly to about 1″ (2.5 cm) diameter at the end. The style and stigmas extend well beyond the flower. Pedicels (flower stalks) are ⅛–½″ (5–15 mm) long. Blooms appear from July to November.
Fruits: ⅛–¼″ (6–8 mm).
Habitats: Roadsides, stream banks, old fields, thickets, and waste areas.
Online References:
Wikimedia Commons (Photos and drawings)
Ipomoea coccinea L. var. hederifolia (L.) A. Gray
9/1/2014 · Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico · ≈ 15 × 10″ (37 × 25 cm) 
9/1/2014 · Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico · ≈ 7 × 7″ (18 × 17 cm) 
9/1/2014 · Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico · ≈ 5 × 6″ (12 × 15 cm) 
9/1/2014 · Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
9/1/2014 · Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico · ≈ 15 × 10″ (37 × 25 cm) 
Look carefully to pick out the vine—most of the foliage is sagebrush. · 9/1/2014 · Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico · ≈ 7 × 6″ (17 × 14 cm) 
9/1/2014 · Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico 
9/1/2014 · Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico · ≈ 12 × 10″ (31 × 26 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Solanales | Potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, tobacco, petunias, sweet potatoes, morning glories, many others |
| Family | Convolvulaceae | Bindweed or morning glory family |
| Genus | Ipomoea | From Greek ips, “a worm,” and homoios, “like,” because of the twining vine |
| Species | hederifolia | With leaves like those of ivy |
Ipomoea hederifolia description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.