Ipomoea violacea
| Ipomoea violacea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Solanales |
| Family: | Convolvulaceae |
| Genus: | Ipomoea |
| Binomial name | |
| Ipomoea violacea L. | |
Ipomoea violacea is a perennial species of Ipomoea that occurs throughout the world by the exception of European continent. It is most commonly called beach moonflower or sea moonflower as the flowers open at night.[1]
Description
The flower, so to say the corolla is white. Therefore Ipomoea violacea cannot be mistaken with Ipomoea tricolor, commonly called Heavenly blue, but for the cultivar Pearly gates which corolla is also white. This mistake might be the result of the misleading binomial name Ipomoea violacea, violeaca meaning purple. Herbaria anyway show that the flower is entirely white[2]
Comparative taxonomies
As often mistaken with Ipomoea tricolor, one must compare the taxonomy of the two plants. The subgenus being different, Ipomoea violacea should not be used as a synonym of Ipomoea tricolor. However if Ipomoea violacea has to be used as a synonym of Ipomoea tricolor, one must specify the incorrect usage by using the abbreviation 'Auct.' Auctorum.[3]
Ipomoea violacea:[3]
- Genus: Ipomoea
- Subgenus: Eriospermum
- Section: Erpipomoea
Ipomoea tricolor:[4]
- Genus: Ipomoea
- Subgenus: Quamoclit
- Section: Tricolor
LSA presence
According to some studies, the seeds of Ipomoea violacea would contain several ergoline alkaloids with an action similar to—but weaker than—that of LSD, and for this reason have long been used by the natives of Central America for preparing psychedelic infusions. Although it is important to note that those studies might be mistaking Ipomoea violacea for Ipomoea tricolor as for one done by the Ohio State University.[5][6]
Other works published in the scientific review Phytochemistry[7] and quoted by The Sociedade Brasileira de Farmacognosia ,[8] shows presence of LSA in Ipomoea violacea. However to be sure that the study led by Ms. Naoki Asano are about Ipomoea violacea, subgenus eriospermum / sectio erpipomoea, one must access the complete work which unfortunately not of free access.
The discoverer of LSD, Albert Hofmann, is himself misleading the reader in his book Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers by describing Ipomoea tricolor (the flower showed in the book is clearly one of Ipomoea tricolor Heavenly blue) as Ipomoea violacea. As specified in the upper section 'description', Ipomoea violacea's corolla is white only. Therefore and as long as the studies on the LSA presence in Ipomoea violacea will not specify the complete taxonomy of the plant, it cannot be testified that Ipomoea violacea contains D-lysergic acid. As for today, only Ipomoea tricolor is proved to contain LSA in its seeds.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ipomoea violacea. |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Ipomoea violacea |
- ↑ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Ipomoea violacea, USDA
- ↑ Herbarium musei parisiensis
- 1 2 http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?406360
- ↑ http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?20231
- ↑ https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/22310/V075N4_198.pdf
- ↑ David S. Seigler Plant secondary metabolism, Springer, 1998, ISBN 0-412-01981-7 p. 655
- ↑ Phytochemistry, Volume 57, Issue 5, July 2001, Pages 721–72
- ↑ http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0102-695X2012000300031&script=sci_arttext
External links
- Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). [http://www.africanplants.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?submitForm=true&page_id=77&searchTextMenue=Ipomoea+violacea&filterRegionIDs[]=6&filterRegionIDs[]=1&filterRegionIDs[]=2&filterRegionIDs[]=3&filterRegionIDs[]=5 "Ipomoea violacea"]. African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.