Morning Glory
Ipomoea purpurea
Family: Convolvulaceae · Also called Ipomoea, Asagao, Heavenly Blue, Pharbitis punctata, Ipomoea chanetii, Ipomoea nil var. diversifolia
Green & Fresh · Summer–Autumn bloomer
Morning glory is the ephemeral poet of the garden, each trumpet-shaped bloom unfurls at dawn in radiant blue, purple, pink, or white, holds its beauty through the morning, then furls and fades by afternoon. But the vine produces so many buds that fresh flowers appear every morning for months, making each day a new display.
love in vain, mortality, renewal
In the Victorian language of flowers, morning glory means “Love in vain, or affection”. Morning glories (asagao) are a national obsession in Japan, dedicated societies hold competitive exhibitions of rare cultivars each summer since the Edo period. Japanese breeders have created extraordinary mutations: fringed, doubled, variegated, and miniature forms prized as living art. In Mesoamerica, Aztecs used morning glory seeds ceremonially for their psychoactive compounds.
Did You Know?
Morning glory vines always twine counterclockwise (when viewed from above), this is genetically fixed and they cannot be trained to go the other way. The 'Heavenly Blue' cultivar, developed in the 1930s, is considered one of the truest blues in the plant kingdom. A single vine can produce over 200 flowers in a season.
Disturbed ground, fences, roadsides, and forest edges in tropical and temperate regions
Morning Glory is native to Central and South America. It naturally grows in disturbed ground, fences, roadsides, and forest edges in tropical and temperate regions.
Scent Profile
“Barely scented, morning glories speak through their daily miracle of opening rather than through fragrance. A faint, dewy sweetness at dawn is all you'll detect.”
Quick Reference
- Scientific NameIpomoea purpurea
- FamilyConvolvulaceae
- Native ToCentral and South America
- Bloom SeasonSummer–Autumn
- LifespanAnnual
Cultural Significance
Morning glories (asagao) are a national obsession in Japan, dedicated societies hold competitive exhibitions of rare cultivars each summer since the Edo period. Japanese breeders have created extraordinary mutations: fringed, doubled, variegated, and miniature forms prized as living art. In Mesoamerica, Aztecs used morning glory seeds ceremonially for their psychoactive compounds.