Messina Creeper ( Ipomoea cairica )

Ipomoea cairica  has palmate leaves and large, showy white to lavender flowers. Each fruit matures at about 1 cm across and contains hairy seeds.

Its native range is uncertain, though it is believed to originate from a rather wide area, ranging from Cape Verde to the Arabian Peninsula, including northern Africa. Because of human dispersal, it occurs today on most continents as an introduced species and is sometimes a noxious weed. It is a major problem along the coast of New South Wales. In the United States it occurs in Hawaii, California, all the gulf coast states, as well as Arkansas and Missouri^.