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4 unusual facts about Ipomoea alba


Castilla elastica

The latex gathered from Castilla elastica was converted into usable rubber by mixing the latex with the juice of the morning glory species Ipomoea alba which, conveniently, is typically found in the wild as a vine climbing Castilla elastica.

I. alba

Ipomoea alba, the moonflower or moon vine, a flowering plant species native to tropical and subtropical regions of the New World, from northern Argentina to Mexico and Florida.

Ipomoea alba

The sulfur in this morning glory served to cross-link the rubber, a process predating Charles Goodyear's discovery by at least 3,000 years.

Stotts Island Nature Reserve

Weeds that have invaded nearby rainforest include madeira vine (Anredera cordifolia), cat's claw (Macfadyena unguis-cati), moonflower (Ipomoea alba) and lantana (Lantana camara), although the rainforest on the island itself has been little affected to date.



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