IPOMOEA WELWITSCHII

This member of the Convolvulaceae family was described by Wilhelm Vatke in 1894. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Malawi, Namibia, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, Zaïre and Zimbabwe, growing in a well drained soil with some water and some sun. The almost white caudex can grow to twelve centimetres or more, the vines will reach for 45 centimetres or more. The flowers are light pink. The generic name Ipomoea is derived from the Greek ἴψ, ἰπός; íps, ipós, meaning 'woodworm', and ὅμοιος; hómoios, meaning 'resembling'. It referring to their twining habit. The species name after Friedrich Martin Josef Welwitsch, 1806-1872, an Austrian explorer and botanist.