''Ipomoea tricolor'', the Mexican morning glory or just morning glory, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Convolvulaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to the

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

of the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, and widely cultivated and

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

elsewhere.

Alkaloids

''Ipomoea tricolor'' seeds contains LSA and LSH among other alkaloids due to the presence of a symbiotic fungus ''

Periglandula ipomoeae ''Periglandula ipomoeae'' is a fungus of the genus '' Periglandula'' in the family Clavicipitaceae. Symbiosis '' Ipomoea asarifolia'', and ''Ipomoea tricolor'' seeds contains LSA and LSH among other alkaloids, due to the presence of the symbiot ...

'', which produces them.

Description

It is an

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook **Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), a ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

twining

liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

growing to tall. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are spirally arranged, long with a long petiole. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are trumpet-shaped, in diameter, most commonly blue with a white to golden yellow centre. I. tricolor and many rarer species of morning glory, contain ergoline alkaloids, predominantly

ergine Ergine, also known as lysergic acid amide (LSA or LAA) as well as LA-111, is a psychoactive compound of the ergoline and lysergamide families related to lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Ergine is an ergoline alkaloid found in fungi such as ...

. Some supermarkets have stopped carrying ''I. tricolor'' seeds because of this.

Cultivation and uses

In cultivation, the species is very commonly grown misnamed as ''

Ipomoea violacea ''Ipomoea violacea'' is a perennial species of ''Ipomoea'' that occurs throughout the world with the exception of the European continent. It is most commonly called beach moonflower or sea moonflower as the flowers open at night. Description The ...

'', actually a different, though related, species. ''I. tricolor'' does not tolerate temperatures below , and so in temperate regions is usually grown as an

. It is in any case a relatively short-lived plant. It prefers a warm, sheltered, sunny position such as a south- or west-facing wall. Ingesting any part of the plant may cause discomfort. Numerous

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s of ''I. tricolor'' with different flower colours have been selected for use as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

s; widely grown examples include: * ‘Blue Star’ *‘Flying Saucers’ * ‘Heavenly Blue’ * ‘Heavenly Blue Improved’ * ‘Pearly Gates’ * ‘Rainbow Flash’ * ‘Skylark’ * ‘Summer Skies’ * ‘Wedding Bells’ The cultivar 'Heavenly Blue' has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

Weed control

''Ipomoea tricolor'' has phytotoxic effects which inhibit seedling growth in weeds. In Mexico, farmers promote the growth of ''I. tricolor'' as a cover plant. It prevents weeds and unwanted plants from growing. When it is time to plant crops, this plant is incorporated into the soil. Although it is toxic to weeds, it does not affect crops such as sugarcane.

Chemical deterrent used to discourage ingestion

It is rumored that ''I. tricolor'' seeds are coated with a chemical that induces sickness so as to dissuade people from using them as a drug, but this is probably a rumor that stems from several factors: - ''I. tricolor'' seeds, by themselves, induce sickness as a result of glycoresins and the very ergolines that are desired by users. - Such is done to other commonly available substances that can induce effects, specifically

gas duster A gas duster, also known as compressed air or canned air, is a product used for cleaning or dusting electronic equipment and other sensitive devices that cannot be cleaned using Water#Washing, water. This type of product is most often packaged ...

s and acetone (which have bitterant added) and denatured alcohol. - Chemical coatings are added to garden seeds to prevent fungal growth (e.g. neonicotinoids, Thiram, and ApronMaxx®). - Packets of ''I. tricolor'' seeds are known to have a warning that the seeds are toxic. Methyl mercury type compounds have been specified in the rumors, but a 1964 article conveys that such compounds were only used in the past and that the majority "

insecticide Insecticides are pesticides used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. The major use of insecticides is in agriculture, but they are also used in home and garden settings, i ...

" at the time of publication was "quite an innocuous substance." There's no evidence that the seeds are coated with a chemical deterrent. Image:Ipomoea_tricolor-WeddingBells_20071011_01.png, 'Wedding Bells' Image:Ipomoea_tricolor-WeddingBells_20071011_02.png, 'Wedding Bells' close-up

Colour change

In ''Ipomoea tricolor'' 'Heavenly Blue', the colour of the flower changes during blossom according to an increase in

vacuolar A vacuole () is a membrane-bound organelle which is present in plant and fungal cells and some protist, animal, and bacterial cells. Vacuoles are essentially enclosed compartments which are filled with water containing inorganic and organic mol ...

pH. This shift, from red to blue, is induced by chemical modifications affecting the

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are solubility, water-soluble vacuole, vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart named a chemical compou ...

molecules present in the petals.

References

External links

Erowid Morning Glory vault
{{Taxonbar, from=Q159698 5-HT2A agonists Annual plants Entheogens Flora of Southern America

tricolor A triband is a vexillological style which consists of three stripes arranged to form a flag. These stripes may be two or three colours, and may be charged with an emblem in the middle stripe. Not all tribands are tricolour flags, which requires t ...

Herbal and fungal hallucinogens Natural sources of lysergamides Psychedelic drugs Serotonin receptor agonists Taxa named by Antonio José Cavanilles Vines