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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Ipomoea alba (Moonflower vine) |
Ipomoea alba (CONVOLVULACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Ipomoea albaL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 161 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Convolvulaceae Juss. (The BindWeed Family)
24 species from the Convolvulaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Moonflower vine, Tropical white morning glory, Moon vine |
Maltese name(s) : |
Kampanella bajda |
Status for Malta : |
Persisting Alien. Introduced species for horticulture (flowering plants) or agriculture (herbs or fruiting trees)
usually within the last 2 centuries and persist after their original location or site is abandoned.
They do not widespread but usually remain as a single tree or a very localised population. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Macro-Phanerophyte ( high trees usually over 5 m high ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
March – July |
Colour of Flowers: |
White |
Toxicity: |
Toxic, and may lead to irreversible damage or death if consumed in large quantities |
Name Derivation : |
Ipomoea: Resembling a large worm for the twining stems climbing on trees and walls. (Latin origin)
alba: Having a white colour. (Latin origin)
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Planting in rural areas : |
Cannot be planted in the wild (rural areas) since the species may be invasive (see ERA guidelines) |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Climbers, the stem woody at the base, perennial, smooth or with short fleshy prickles, glabrous. Leaves rounded, ovate, entire or 3-5-lobed, 5-15cm long, basally cordate, apically acuminate, glabrous. Flowers in 1 to several flowered cymes. Sepals fleshy, ovate to elliptic, 10-20 mm long, apically caudate, at least on the outer sepals. Corolla white, salverform, the tube 9-15 cm long, the limb 8-10 cm broad. Fruit capsular, ovoid to subglobose, 2-3 cm long, dark brown, glabrous. Seeds dark brown to black, glabrous. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Escapee in hedges, roadsides and ditches
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Cultivated climber sometimes escaping in the wild from dumped material. Could be found in vegetated areas such as valley sides, field margins and urbanised maquis
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Distributional range |
S. Europe
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Native region outside Europe |
Tropical America
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Buy Images: Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.
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Online Purchase (Images)
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| Contribute Information or Report Errors |
Use this form to submit additional information about this species or to report any inaccuracies on this webpage.
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GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
