Practical
Plants

Ipomoea leptophylla

Bush Moon Flower

a perennial member of the Ipomoea genus in the family Convolvulaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Ipomoea
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.2 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - raw or cooked. Crisp, sweet and tender[2][8][9][10]. Some reports suggest that the root is not very nice and was only used when nothing else was available, this is probably because old roots were tried[10][6]. Roots should be no more than 3 years old, preferably only 2[10]. The roots can be up to 1.2 metres long[2] and weigh 11 kilos[5]. This report almost certainly refers to roots older than 3 years[K].

Plant part
Root

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

This plant was used as a cardiac stimulant by some native North American Indian tribes[3]. An infusion of the staminate cones has been used as a stomach tonic[6]. The root has been scraped and eaten raw as a treatment for stomach troubles[6]. The pulverized root has been dusted onto the body as a dressing to ease pain[6].

Product or use
Cardiac
Product or use
Salve
Product or use
Stomachic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Some native North American Indian tribes would use the root to store fire in the days before matches. They would start a fire in the root, wrap it up and hang it outside. It was said that the fire would keep for seven months[6].

Environment

Range
Southern N. America - South Dakota to Nebraska, Wyoming, New Mexico and Texas.
Habitat
Plains and dry banks, especially on sandy shores[10].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water, or scarify the seed, and sow in individual pots in a greenhouse in early spring. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 weeks at 22°c. Plants are extremely resentful of root disturbance, even when they are quite small, and should be potted up almost as soon as they germinate[4]. Grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter then plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of side shoots in a peaty soil. Layering.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a rich well-drained soil in a warm sunny position[1]. Requires greenhouse protection in Britain[1]. A plant survived 2 winters outdoors in a pot in Cornwall before succumbing to a very wet and cold winter[K]. This does suggest that the plant is hardy enough to survive outdoors at least in the milder parts of Britain[K]. A climbing plant, supporting itself by twining around the branches of other plants[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

  3. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩

  4. Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219220-0

    ↩1↩2

  5. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

  6. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  7. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

  8. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  9. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  10. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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