Also called Japanese Morning Glory, Ivy Morning Glory, Morning Glory, Blue Morning Glory, White Edge Morning Glory, Annua Morning Glory, Lobedleaf Pharbitis
Ipomoea nil is a fast-growing climbing annual vine from the tropical Americas, grown for its funnel-shaped blue, purple or white-edged flowers that open in the morning. It is a vigorous self-seeder that needs full sun and a support to climb.
Family
Convolvulaceae (Morning-glory family)
Grows as
Climber
Light
Full sun
Water
Water regularly during active growth and let the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained garden soil or a standard potting mix.
Temperature
18–30 °C; protect below 10 °C, as it is frost tender.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: Seeds and other parts contain lysergic-type alkaloids and can cause nausea, vomiting, and hallucinations if eaten in quantity.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
Trop. & Subtrop. America
Climate
seasonally dry tropical
About
Ipomoea nil is a species of Ipomoea morning glory known by several common names, including picotee morning glory, ivy morning glory, ivy-leaf morning glory, and Japanese morning glory (although it is not native to Japan). It is native to the tropical Americas, and has been introduced widely across the world.
How to grow it
It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in many places, and the descendants of garden escapees now grow wild. Fast-growing and self-seeding, it may be used to hide unsightly fences or walls, and may also be used decoratively on trellises. The flowers are several centimeters wide and appear in various shades of blue, pink or rose, often with white stripes or edges or blends of colors. Common cultivars include 'Scarlet O'Hara', 'Early Call', and 'Rose Silk'.
Hybrids, for instance with I. purpurea, have been developed. Some of these have been given the name I. x imperialis (Imperial Japanese morning glory), which is not official. Cultivars include 'Sunrise Serenade'. Alternative nomenclatures include Ipomoea nil x imperialis, as in 'Cameo Elegance', or Ipomoea nil 'Imperialis'. It is a frost tender annual in colder areas or if placed in shaded area in the garden, but can be kept as a perennial if it is well managed and placed in full sun during the winter.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ipomoea nil by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.