I. quamoclit is a herbaceous, twining vine growing up to 3–10 feet (0.91–3.05 m) tall.

The first, originally put forward by the French writer and botanist Alexandre de Théis [fr], is that it is derived from Greek.

Neither explanation can be verified, although the botanist Daniel F. Austin makes an argument that the latter is the most likely.

In Bangladesh, it has the vernacular names Tarulata, Kamalata, Kunjalata and Getphul.

This plant is native to northern South America north to Mexico but has been widely distributed throughout the world since Europeans first began to explore the Americas, initially becoming popular as a medicinal plant and later as an ornamental.

It blooms continuously from August to December in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and February to June in temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere.

Ipomoea × multifida is a hybrid between I. quamoclit (the cypress vine) and I. coccinea.