Ipomoea lacunosa
Ipomoea lacunosa L. (N-Am.) – A regular but ephemeral alien, seen most years since 1993, although much decreasing lately. Most recently seen on a demolition site of the former Vamo Mills oil mill at the Albertkanaal in Merksem in 2016. Most records are from port-areas in Antwerpen and Gent, occasionally seen elsewhere (Izegem,…). Ipomoea lacunosa is always introduced with grains or oilseeds and is usually found near grain mills (unloading quays, under conveyors, road verges, wasteland).
Ipomoea lacunosa is characteristic in having a small white corolla but it is often very reluctant to flower. Leaf margins are quite often very dark, a feature not observed in the other Belgian Ipomoea-species.
Like Ipomoea xleucantha and I. triloba this species belongs to the I. batatas complex (Austin 1978), a group of ca. 11 closely related and more or less intergrading species.
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Selected literature
Austin D.F. (1978) The Ipomoea batatas complex – I. Taxonomy. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 105(2): 114-129.
Easy G.M.S. (1983) Morning glories (Ipomoea spp). BSBI News 35: 28-29.
Stephenson D.O., Oliver R.R. & Gbur E.E. (2006) Identification and characterization of pitted morningglory (Ipomoea lacunosa) ecotypes. Weed Science 54: 78-86.
Verloove F. & Vandenberghe C. (1995) Nieuwe en interessante voederadventieven voor de Belgische en Noordfranse flora, hoofdzakelijk in 1994. Dumortiera 61-62: 23-45.