Morning Glory Vines whose chemicals can coagulate (“vulcanize”) latex to make rubber

Posted May. 12, 2019

So far we have found Ipomoea alba around many parts of the shore of Lake Yaxha. We found a lot more on the west edge of Topoxte Island, on the shore of Rio Ixtinto. Now we are finding Ipomoea alba in most savannas and bog-like areas near Nakum. So we are preparing a comprehensive annotated bibliography on Ipomoea alba as a plant and its role as coagulant for latex of Castilla elastica.

With the help of park rangers courtesy of the park administrators (IDAEH and CONAP), we have found two species of Merremia, both yellow-flowered “morning glory vines.” Merremia tuberosa grows in extensive masses overlooking lake areas at the southwest portion of Lake Yaxha. Surely it is present in other parts of the park as well.

Click to enlarge. Ipomoea alba NIKON D5, ISO 4,000, f 11.0 1/800, 200 mm Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth	Click to enlarge. Merremia tuberosa NIKON D5, 800 mm, ISO 4,000 f 5.6 Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth	Click to enlarge. Merremia umbellata NIKON D5, 600 mm, ISO 2500, f 4 Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth

Merremia umbellata is present in wet areas, including the bog-like micro ecosystems within the savanna of multiple diverse ecosystems east of Nakum. Merremia umbellata only has its bright yellow flowers open during certain hours of the day, so unless you are in a bog or comparable area with all-year moist soil at that hour you might miss this vine. Merremia umbellata is also usable to coagulate latex of Castilla elastica. So now we have three vines whose juice was available to the Classic Maya of Nakum, Yaxha, and Naranjo to turn latex into functional game balls or sandal soles or rubber capes (raincoats) or other practical uses. Latex from a rubber tree is not functional until it is coagulated (in modern chemistry it is vulcanized with sulfur). The Olmecs and everyone else in Mesoamerica used different (morning glory vine) chemicals 3000+ years before Thomas Goodyear and others discovered vulcanization with sulfur.

Merremia umbellata often grows in the same mico ecosystems as Ipomoea alba, such as Aguada Maya near Poza Maya (a few kilometers north of Yaxha). Both also grow in the same micro ecosystem within the savanna east of Nakum.