Morning glories
Botanical name: Ipomoea
Morning glories
Botanical name: Ipomoea
Description
Morning glories are known colloquially by many different names, including morning glory, water convolvulus or kangkung, sweet potato, bindweed, or moonflower. Morning glory is a name used for many kinds of climbing vines, and it can be hard to tell them apart. They generally produce large, bright flowers, and have been cultivated in many different ways as an ornamental plant.
Species of Morning glories
Common morning-glory 'Star of Yelta'
Common morning-glory 'Star of Yelta' is a Common morning-glory cultivar created for its hardiness and blooms. These characteristics also explain why common morning-glory 'Star of Yelta' is a preferred spring plant with gardeners. The cultivar produces tricolor blooms, unlike the single color produced by most other plants in the family. The blooms remain open for longer and appear from early summer until late fall.
Ipomoea cholulensis
Ipomoea cholulensis are known colloquially by many different names, including morning glory, water convolvulus or kangkung, sweet potato, bindweed, or moonflower. Morning glory is a name used for many kinds of climbing vines, and it can be hard to tell them apart. They generally produce large, bright flowers, and have been cultivated in many different ways as an ornamental plant.
Mexican morning glory
This vining annual, the mexican morning glory, is a great climber for trellises, with heart-shaped leaves and showy blue blooms. Morning glories get their name because they open in the morning and close in the brighter afternoon light.
Bush morning glory
Ipomoea leptophylla is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant that belongs to the Morning glory genus and is native to warm temperate regions of western North America. It is one of the few Morning glory species that grows as a bush and not as a vine. Bush morning glory blooms in summer; the trumpet-shaped flowers open early in the morning and wilt as the day progresses.
Bayhops
Bayhops (Ipomoea pes-caprae) is an herbaceous climbing vine that is salt tolerant and commonly found growing wild along ocean shores of North America, from Florida to Texas. Flowers bloom in summer and fall, opening in early morning and closing before noon each day, giving the plant its name. Seedpods appear shortly after flowers fade.
Saltmarsh morning-glory
Saltmarsh morning-glory (Ipomoea sagittata) is a trailing perennial vine that will grow to 1.8 m long. Native to the southern United States, it can be found in Florida’s marshes and mangrove swamps. It blooms in summer and fall with showy, funnel-shaped pink to purple flowers that bloom in the morning and close in the afternoon. Thrives in full sun to partial shade.
Water spinach
The Ipomoea aquatica, also known as water spinach, is an herbaceous trailing vine grown in Asia for its edible roots and shoots, which are used in stir-fry and other dishes. It blooms in the summer with showy, bell-shaped flowers that appear solitary or in clusters. The plant can become an ecological threat as it forms dense floating mats over the water surface that shade out native plants, depriving them of sunlight and oxygen.
Bellvine
Bellvine are known colloquially by many different names, including morning glory, water convolvulus or kangkung, sweet potato, bindweed, or moonflower. Morning glory is a name used for many kinds of climbing vines, and it can be hard to tell them apart. They generally produce large, bright flowers, and have been cultivated in many different ways as an ornamental plant.
Whiteedge morning glory 'Grandpa Ott'
This cultivar is an heirloom varietal hailing from Germany and was created for its bright coloring and appealing appearance. With deep green leaves the shape of hearts, the blooms of the whiteedge morning glory 'Grandpa Ott', from the popular morning glory plant family, are a dark purple, trumpet-shaped, and intense, with a ruby red star center that extends from the throat of the bloom. Its name comes from the fact that the blooms close in the afternoon.
Mexican morning glory 'Heavenly Blue'
Heavenly blue morning glory 'Heavenly Blue' is distinct for the brilliant blue flowers and large blooms which have inspired this cultivar's name. Gardeners love mexican morning glory 'Heavenly Blue' for its beautiful blooms and for how fast it grows, climbing quickly upward. It also does well in hanging pots and containers.
Obscure morning glory
The delightful appearance of the obscure morning glory (Ipomoea obscura) flower is often paired with a seed pod stuffed with seeds, ready to spread far and wide. As with all genus Ipomoea members, the foliage of this plant is high in alkaloids, which can be very toxic if ingested.
Ivyleaf morning-glory
Ivyleaf morning-glory is a Central American flowering vine. It has hairy leaves and lavender, white, and rose-colored trumpet-shaped flowers. It also bears egg-shaped fruits. This species flourishes in places with tropical climates. It grows well on railroads, abandoned sites, and landfills.
Scarlet morning glory
Ipomoea hederifolia is a graceful annual climber. It has tubular blossoms in hues of yellow, orange, pink, and red. It is found mainly in the Southern part of the United States, as well as Central and South America. The fruit of the scarlet morning glory is dry and splits open when ripe.
White morning-glory
The white morning-glory gets its name because masses of white flowers look glorious planted together, but the blooms close up later in the day when sun is bright. This variety of white morning-glory has a smaller flower than other varieties, but the vines can grow up to 3 m long.
Cardinal creeper
Cardinal creeper (Ipomoea horsfalliae) is an evergreen climber that is native to South America, where it grows best in rich, fertile soil in full sun. In its native range, Ipomoea horsfalliae is pollinated almost exclusively by hummingbirds. It is often cultivated as an ornamental garden plant for its ruby-red or magenta flowers and its glossy, dark green foliage.
Narrowleaved pink ipomoea
Narrowleaved pink ipomoea (Ipomoea bolusiana) is an indigenous South African flowering species that is often cultivated as a houseplant in containers. Narrowleaved pink ipomoea is considered easy to grow for gardeners, but it requires patience because it takes multiple years to establish itself. This species is less susceptible to root rot when the bulb is planted above the soil instead of buried in the soil.
Man of the earth
Man of the earth, or Ipomoea pandurata, is a vining perennial native to North America. Bees and hummingbirds are fond of the white flowers. It grows quickly, and the tubers in the ground are difficult to remove, so it may cause problems for the garden.
Whiteedge morning glory
Whiteedge morning glory (Ipomoea nil) is an annual that will grow to 5 m tall. It is a fast-growing plant with emerald green heart-shaped leaves. It blooms from summer to fall with red trumpet-shaped flowers edged in white that open in the morning and close by afternoon. Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Thrives in full sun in well-drained soil.
Mile-A-Minute Vine
Mile-A-Minute Vine (Ipomoea cairica) is seen all over the Hawaiian Islands because centuries ago, Polynesian explorers carried in their oceangoing canoes. It contains hydrogen cyanide so never follow the ancient Polynesians' example of roasting the tubers of the plant and eating them. It is always considered an invasive weed.
Littlebell
Littlebell (Ipomoea triloba) is a species of morning glory that is native to the tropical Americas but has been introduced elsewhere in the world and is sometimes considered a noxious weed. It is a vining plant and produces small, cup-shaped flowers that come in a variety of different colors.
Pink morning glory
While most Morning Glories are vines, the pink morning glory (Ipomoea carnea) is a shrub native to much of the tropical Americas. In Brazil, it is known as "canudo-de-pito", which translates to "pipe cane", as its hollow tubes were used to make tobacco pipes. The stems can be used to make paper.
Beach morning-glory
Beach morning-glory (Ipomoea imperati) is a species of plant that scatters its seeds in seawater. The seedpod is buoyant and so can be carried away to populate new areas. This is why it’s been found on beaches on every single continent except for frigid Antarctica. Its flowers blossom in the morning and close their petals when afternoon rolls around, giving rise to its common name.
Lindheimer's morning glory
Lindheimer's morning glory most commonly appears in rocky, disturbed areas. its scientific name (Ipomoea lindheimeri) was given for the "Father of Texas botany," Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer. Its flowers only open in the morning, closing in the afternoon sun.
Red morning glory
Red morning glory is a species of morning glory. This plant is known for its climbing vines and brightly colored flowers. It is often grown on trellises as an ornamental plant. Red morning glory grows best in full sun and well-draining soil.
Tiger's footprint
Tiger's footprint is named after its attractive and very distinctive leaves which look very much like the footprint of a big cat. The 'tigridis' in the Latin name, Ipomoea pes-tigridis also refers to this resemblance. This twining creeper is native to central Africa and central and southeast Asia is also present as an introduced species in Australia.
Sweet potato vine
While most assume that the sweet potato vine is a potato, it is not considered nightshade. However, sweet potatoes and potatoes both belong to the order of Solanales. Its culinary use is wide and can be fried, baked or boiled.
Cypress vine
Cypress vine is a beautiful vining plant with fern-like foliage and star-shaped red flowers. Cypress vine is resistant to deer and attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. It thrives in moist but not soggy soil, with full sun and a structure to climb on. This striking plant is toxic like its cousin, the Morning Glory.
Tievine
Ipomoea cordatotrilobais a type of weed native to the southeastern United States, Mexico, and South America. Tievine has one heart-shaped leaf, and one leaf with three lobes. The flowers vary from pink to lavender to dark purple with five distinct lines that some say resemble a star pattern. Tievine is considered an invasive species in some areas.
Common morning glory
Common morning glory natives in Mexico and Central America and is commonly planted as an ornamental plant prized for its colorful trumpet-shaped flowers. It is naturalized in temperate and subtropical areas globally and in many places, always grown weedy and is considered to be invasive in many parts of the world.
Blue morning glory
Blue morning glory (Ipomoea indica) is a twining evergreen vine native to tropical environments around the world. In the morning, the plant's flowers bloom and are a bright blue. By the end of the afternoon, the blossoms fade to a purple-pink color. New flowers appear daily from late spring to early fall.
Moonflower
Moonflower (Ipomoea alba) is a flowering plant that blooms at night. Moonflower is also called the moonflower or moon vine, and it is native to Argentina, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Florida in the United States. Moonflower is cultivated for ornamental purposes and is considered an invasive species in some areas.
Scientific Classification
Botanist in your pocket
Scan QR code to download
