About Ipomoea arborescens (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) G.Don
Ipomoea arborescens (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) G.Don is a rapidly growing deciduous caudiciform tree. It can grow 2 to 3 meters per year, reaching a final height of 3 to 15 meters, with a trunk diameter up to 50 cm. Its bark ranges in color from grey to brown and has a rough texture. Young stems are typically tomentose, becoming glabrescent by the third year at the latest, when they are fully glabrose. The twisted trichomes on stems measure 0.1 to 0.25 mm long. Both stems and the entire tree's wood produce white latex. Leaf blades are entire, measuring 9 to 19 cm long and 6 to 9 cm wide, with 12 to 19 pairs of lateral veins. Leaves are shaped ovate to lanceolate, with a cordate base and acuminate apex. They are pubescent, especially on the lower surface and lower leaf veins; as leaves mature, hairs only remain on the veins and along the margin. Petioles are 1 to 9 cm long and usually finely felted. The chromosome count for this species is 2n = 30. In the wild, Ipomoea arborescens occurs from Sonora and Chihuahua south to Veracruz and Oaxaca, Mexico. It grows at elevations between 50 and 2200 m, typically flowers and fruits between November and April, and inhabits open thorn forests, oak savannas, and dry deciduous forests. This species can be cultivated as a crop in El Salvador, Guatemala, Senegal, and Zimbabwe. It requires full sun and grows best in tropical conditions, suited to USDA zones 9b to 11. It grows in soils ranging from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, with a pH range of 6.1 to 7.8. It produces new leaves in summer during the rainy season, and sheds its foliage after rains stop in September.
