Higher-Level Taxonomy & Evolution Codexery

Ipomoea aquatica

A semi-aquatic vegetable widely cultivated in Asia.

Last updated

Tender shoots of the semi-aquatic tropical plant Ipomoea aquatica are consumed as a vegetable.[1][2] Common names for this plant include water spinach and kangkung, and its initial domestication is thought to have occurred in Southeast Asia.[1] This plant thrives in locations near waterways with minimal maintenance required.[1]

Scientific classification

  1. CladeTracheophytes
  2. CladeAngiosperms
  3. CladeEudicots
  4. CladeAsterids
  5. OrderSolanales
  6. FamilyConvolvulaceae
  7. GenusIpomoea
  8. SpeciesIpomoea aquatica

Named by Forssk.

Close relatives

Other species of Ipomoea with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Ipomoea aquatica (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2018

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

Where the ipomoea aquatica has been recorded

Where the ipomoea aquatica has been recorded56 mapped locations from 7,118 GBIF occurrence records

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (7,118 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 364 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)

Quick Facts

Species
aquatica

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

This is supported by phylogenetic studies, ideal climatic conditions, and the number of native pathogens in the region.[3] Southeast Asia is the generally accepted native region and original cultivation site for Ipomoea aquatica.[3] An Indian origin is suggested by the ancient Sanskrit term kalamba, which may date to around 200 BC, though this evidence is not definitive.[1] The plant's stems reach lengths of 2 to 3 m or more, develop roots at their nodes, and contain a hollow interior that allows them to float.[4]

Leaf shapes range from arrowhead-like (sagittate) to lance-shaped, with lengths of 5 to 15 cm and widths of 2 to 8 cm.[4] New plants are started either from cuttings of stem shoots or from seeds produced in the plant's flower pods.[4] Livestock receive water spinach as nutritious green fodder, with the leaves being particularly valued for their carotene content.[5]

What the research sources say

The Stuartxchange account reports that an aqueous extract of Ipomoea aquatica is as effective as the oral hypoglycemic drug tolbutamide in reducing blood sugar levels of Wistar rats.[2] The same source notes that a methanol extract yielded a compound that exhibited antioxidant activity with an EC50 value of 83 and showed very strong lipid peroxidation-inhibitory activity.[2] The Stuartxchange account also states that Ipomoea aquatica exerted higher antimicrobial activity against bacterial strains than two other herb extracts.[2] According to that source, a study in an aspirin-induced ulcer model in rats found Ipomoea aquatica to possess potent anti-ulcerogenic and ulcer-healing properties.[2]

The account further reports that a methanol-ethanol extract significantly potentiated ketamine-induced sleep, suggesting interaction with CNS depressants.[2] The Stuartxchange account describes a study that evaluated the protective effects of ethanol extract of I. aquatica against liver damage induced by thioacetamine in rats.[2]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Ipomoea aquatica" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Austin, Daniel F. F. "Water Spinach (Ipomoea Aquatica, Convolvulaceae) a Food Gone Wild." Ethnobotany Research and Applications 5 (2007): 123-46. Web. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. "Kangkong / Ipomoea aquatica Forsk./ POTATO VINE / Herbal Medicinal Therapies / Philippine Alternative Medicine", Stuartxchange.org. facts only, no text reused. stuartxchange.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Ipomoea aquatica" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Austin, Daniel F. F. "Water Spinach (Ipomoea Aquatica, Convolvulaceae) a Food Gone Wild." Ethnobotany Research and Applications 5 (2007): 123-46. Web.; Li, H.-L. 1970. The origin of cultivated plants in Southeast Asia. Economic Botany 24:3-19. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Ipomoea aquatica" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Growing kangkong in water", curiousgardener.com, 15 September 2011; "Kangkungking.com", Kangkungking.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Ipomoea aquatica" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pandey, A.K. Aquatic Vegetables. Udaipur: Agrotech Academy, 2011. Print.; Austin, Daniel F. F. "Water Spinach (Ipomoea Aquatica, Convolvulaceae) a Food Gone Wild." Ethnobotany Research and Applications 5 (2007): 123-46. Web. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ipomoea aquatica (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Named in this entry

Ipomoea

More in Higher-Level Taxonomy & Evolution

MicrosporidiaMycorrhizaMyxogastriaNicotianaOpisthokontParakaryonBacteroidotaBikontChlamydiotaChloroflexotaConvolvulaceaeCyanobacteria

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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