Thursday, April 19, 2012

Morning Glory

Morning Glory, Bindweed, Ipomoea, Calystegia, Argyreia nervosa

Morning Glory is a common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae.   Found this perennial climbing vine growing wildly at the beaches of Batangas.  Most Morning Glory flowers unravel into full bloom in the early morning.  The flowers usually start to fade a few hours before the petals start showing visible curling.  They prefer full sun exposure  throughout the day in an environment with well-balanced supply of  moisture.

Morning Glory was first known in China for its medicinal uses, due to the laxative properties of its seeds.  Ancient Mesoamerican civilizations used the morning glory species Ipomoea alba to convert the latex from the Castilla elastica tree  and also the guayule plant to produce bouncing rubber balls.  The sulfur in morning glory's juice served to vulcanize the rubber, a process predating Charles Goodyear's discovery by at least 3,000 years.  Aztec priests in Mexico were also known to use the plants hallucinogenic properties.  The seeds of morning glory can produce a similar effect to LSD when taken in large doses.


 


18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous flowers.

Lois Evensen said...

The morning glories aren't blooming here quite yet. The vines cover just about everything and are very frustrating, then the pretty flowers appear as if to say, "you can't be angry with me, can you?" *sigh*

Libby said...

My neighbor had morning glories when I was a little girl :)

Andrea said...

hi Luna,this is Ipomoea pes-caprae, or beach morning glory. I've seen it not only in our beaches but also growing more luxuriantly in other hot beaches as in Dubai. I even thought that it can be put to good use!

lotusleaf said...

The plant Morning Glory is used in Ayurveda medicine too. There is a dark blue variety which is common here. It is called the Blue Dawn flower.

Carole M. said...

though they can be troublesome plants, they are most attractive

Vores have said...

Great pictures you show of some beautiful flowers.
Wishing you a good weekend.
Hanne Bente / hbt.finus.dk

Jama said...

So pretty!

Herding Cats said...

Beautiful!

Modern Mom said...

They are beautiful.

Layered Hibiscus

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

These are lovely Miranda. The pink form is lovely - we mainly see the bright blue flowering form here in Australia.

Thank you for participating in Floral Friday Fotos!

Carver said...

The morning glory is lovely.

lina@women said...

Love the color! It grows well here.

NatureFootstep said...

Morning Glory is a good name. I think everybody likes that flower.

I liked that strange looking flower you have on TF::) It looks like berries but I guess it is not.

Randi said...

Terrific shots of a beautiful flower.

Míriam Luiza said...

Lindas!Amei!!! Acho que tenho uma dessas começando a florescer aqui!

Lui said...

Oh so that's what it's called! Haha! TF is featuring you today with MickeyM. Cool idea for our hot weather ;-)

Indrani said...

That is lot of interesting info. I have them blooming in my garden. :)