How do you recognise Common morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea)?

Leaf

Magnus Manske, Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 2.5

Common morning glory

Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth

Also known as: Purple morning glory, Tall morning glory

Family: Convolvulaceae

2 to 4 m in a single season

Gardens throughout France, sown every year at the foot of a sunny trellis, wire fence or stake; sometimes naturalised on waste ground

Flowering: July - October

Full sun

Not hardy (annual plant, killed by frost)

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Each flower lasts only a single morning — faded by the afternoon — but the plant produces so many new ones each day that flowering seems uninterrupted all summer.

🍃 Leaves

Deciduous, heart-shaped, bright green, carried on a twining stem

🌸 Flowers

Large flaring funnel-shaped flowers, purple, pink or blue depending on the variety, open for only one morning

🍎 Fruits

Small round capsules containing several black seeds

🪵 Bark

Thin, green, herbaceous stem, twining around any support without tendrils or holdfasts

🗺️ Distribution

Native to tropical America, grown as an annual climber throughout France, sometimes naturalised in the south

🐝 Value for pollinators

Nectar-bearing flowers visited by bees and bumblebees early in the morning

✂️ Horticultural uses

The most widely sown annual climber for quickly covering a trellis or wire fence in a single season, each flower lasting only a day

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Seeds toxic if ingested (ergoline-type alkaloids related to LSA): digestive upset, and neurological/hallucinogenic effects if a large amount is ingested; also toxic to dogs, cats and horses.

🌿 Other Convolvulaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.