Convolvulaceae

Convolvulaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the bindweed or morning glory family, which includes about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species.

Overview

The Convolvulaceae family is distributed globally and the flowers are often showy and bilaterally symmetrical. The leaves are simple and alternate, without stipules. The fruit can be a capsule, berry, or nut, all containing only two seeds per one locule.

Genera

Some of the most notable genera in the Convolvulaceae family include:

• Ipomoea - The largest genus in the family, it includes over 500 species. Most of these are called morning glories, but this can refer to related genera too.
• Convolvulus - This genus includes bindweeds and is named after the Latin word for "to twine".
• Cuscuta - Also known as dodders, this genus is made up of over 100 species of yellow, orange, or red (rarely green) parasitic plants.

Economic Importance

The Convolvulaceae family has several species of economic importance. For example, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) and water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) are food crops. Some species are notorious for being aggressive and hard-to-control weeds, like field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).

Medicinal Uses

Several species of the Convolvulaceae family have been used in traditional medicine. For instance, Ipomoea pes-caprae is used for the treatment of jellyfish stings. However, the efficacy of these treatments has not been scientifically confirmed.

See Also

• List of Convolvulaceae Genera
• Morning Glory
• Bindweed

Convolvulaceae Resources
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