What is "ipomoea purga"

Ipomoeic \Ip`o*m[oe]"ic\ ([i^]p`[-o]*m[=e]"[i^]k), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained by the oxidation of convolvulin (obtained from jalap, the tubers of Ipom[oe]a purga), and identical in most of its properties with sebacic acid.

Jalap \Jal"ap\, n. [F., fr. Sp. jalapa; -- so called from Jalapa, a town in Mexico, whence it was first obtained.] (Med.) The tubers of the Mexican plant Ipom[oe]a purga (or Exogonium purga) of the family Convolvulaceae, a climber much like the morning-glory. The abstract, extract, and powder, prepared from the tubers, are well known purgative (cathartic) medicines, and are also called jalap. Other species of Ipom[oe]a yield several inferior kinds of jalap, as the Ipom[oe]a Orizabensis, and Ipom[oe]a tuberosa.

False jalap, the root of Mirabilis Jalapa, four-o'clock, or marvel of Peru.

Ipomoea purga is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ipomoea. It is commonly referred to as jalap.