Jacquemontia nodiflora (Desr.) Don

• Authority

  Britton, Nathaniel L. Flora Borinqueña.

• Family

  Convolvulaceae

• Scientific Name

  Jacquemontia nodiflora (Desr.) G.Don

• Description

  Species Description - Widely distributed nearly throughout the West Indies, except the Bahama Islands, and on the continent from southern Mexico to Ecuador, this densely hairy, slender, herbaceous vine is frequent in the dry, southern and southwestern parts of Porto Rico, from sea-level to about 400 meters altitude, on the southern slopes of the mountains, has been observed near Cape San Juan, where the rainfall is also low, and on the islands Desecheo, Vieques and Culebra. The often numerous clusters of bright white flowers are attractive. The vine usually grows in thickets, twining on bushes, but is sometimes prostrate on hillsides or banks. For an account of the genus Jacquemontia, we refer to our description of Jacquemontia pentantha; another species, Jacquemontia subsalina is also illustrated and described in this work. Jacquemontia nodiflora (flowering at the nodes of the stem, but the name is scarcely definitive), is a vine from 2 to 6 meters long, velvety-hairy, or the stems nearly smooth toward the base. The ovate leaves are from 2 to 6 centimeters long, slender-stalked, pointed, the base rounded, or heart-shaped. The clusters of several flowers are short-stalked, the individual flowers borne on stalks from 3 to 6 millimeters long; the sepals are blunt, and 2 or 3 millimeters long; the corolla is about 2 centimeters broad. The nearly globular capsule is from 3 to 4 millimeters in diameter.

• Discussion

  Corona de novia Small White Morning-glory Morning-glory Family Convolvulus nodiflorus Desvaux, in Lamarck, Encyclopédia Méthodique Botanique 3: 557. 1789. Jacquemontia nodiflora G. Don, General History of Plants 4: 283. 1838.