Ipomoea Species, Morning Glory, Beach Moonflower, Sea Moonflower, Coral De Sabana

Ipomoea violacea is a perennial.

Ipomoea violacea is either white or rarely a pale pink.

The common name for this is "beach moonflower" or "sea moonflower"

Ipomoea violacea is taxonomically classified as being i...Read Moren

Genus : Ipomoea
Subgenus : Eriospermum
Section : Erpipomoea

and is NOT Heavenly Blue or any other cultivar of Ipomoea tricolor

Ipomoea tricolor is Taxonomically classified as follows ;

Genus : Ipomoea
Subgenus : Quamoclit
Section : Tricolor

Determined by the ARS Systematic Botany Laboratory


There is much confusion regarding the current / historical relationship of I.tricolor and I.violacea stemming from R.E.Shultes who thought that what is NOW classified as I.tricolor , should have been classified as I.violacea...alas the powers that be did not agree and so what R.E.Schultes originally referenced as I.violacea , is now officially classified as Ipomoea tricolor.

Ipomoea tricolor and Ipomoea violacea are now officially classified as 2 very separate and distinct species and in different subgenera and in different sections.

The epithets of many species do not always (as is commonly thought to be the case by the otherwise unknowing) accurately describe the species characteristics in fact the epithets often imply characteristics that are *never* present in a given species , e.g., Ipomoea violacea is never actually violet or blue but is most commonly white and very rarely a pale pinkish...

The botanical epithet serves *primarily* as a unique alphabetical identifier and it is a mistake to believe that the epithet always accurately describe any characteristics of a species.

Ipomoea violacea and Ipomoea tricolor are both very consistent in the morphology of all plant parts and neither of these species is in any sense polymorphic.

I do hope that this information helps to clear up the rampant confusion all over the web regarding these 2 very different and distinct species.