Yellow-flowered ground gourd, Mountain ground gourd
Merremia hungaiensis

Family: Convolvulaceae

What it is like

A creeper. It keeps growing from year to year. It has 2 or 3 reddish-brown fleshy roots. They are oval and white inside. The young branches are like wire. The leaves are alternate and oval. They are 3-11 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. They taper to the tip and have a rounded base. The leaf stalks are 1-4 cm long. They hang down. The flowers occur singly and are yellow. There can be 2 or 3 in a groupd. They are on stalks 2-6 cm long. They are funnel shaped.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It is native to south-western China. It grows in grasslands and shrubby mountain slopes between 1,200-3,200 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China

How it is used for food

The starch is extracted from the root tubers.

Edible parts

Root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Huang hua tu gua, Shan tu gua

Synonyms

Ipomoea hungaiensis Lingelsheim et Borza; Ipomoea wilsonii Gagnepain;