MediaWiki default at 04:04, 14 June 2007

2007-06-14T04:04:21Z

New page

{{dablink|This article is about the plant. For other uses of this name see [[Morning glory (disambiguation)]].}}

[[Image:Morning_Glory_Flower.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Morning glory flower]]
[[Image:Morning Glory Photo.jpg|200px|right|thumb|An unopened spiral bud of a morning glory flower]]
'''Morning glory''' is a common name for over 1,000 [[species]] of [[flowering plant]]s in the family the [[Convolvulaceae]], belonging to the following [[genus|genera]]:
*''[[Calystegia]]''
*''[[Convolvulus]]''
*''[[Ipomoea]]''
*''[[Merremia]]''
*''[[Rivea corymbosa|Rivea]]''

As the name implies, morning glory flowers, which are funnel-shaped, open in the morning, allowing them to be [[pollinated]] by hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and other daytime insects and birds, as well as [[Sphingidae|Hawkmoth]] at dusk for longer blooming variants. The [[flower]] typically lasts for a single morning and dies in the afternoon. New flowers bloom each day. The flowers usually start to fade a couple of hours before the petals start showing visible curling. They prefer full sun throughout the day and [[Mesic habitat|mesic]] soils. In cultivation, most are treated as perennial [[plant]]s in tropical areas and as [[annual plant]]s in colder climates, but some species tolerate winter cold.

==Cultivation==
[[Image:MorningGlories-Tonsofem.jpg|250px|thumb|''[[Ipomoea purpurea]]'' in [[Loganville, Georgia]]]]
Morning glory is also called '''asagao''' (in [[Japanese language|Japanese]], a compound of 朝 ''asa'' "morning" and 顔 ''kao'' "face"). A rare brownish-coloured variant known as Danjuro is very popular. It was first known in [[China]] for its [[medicinal]] uses, due to the [[laxative]] properties of its seeds. It was introduced to the [[Japan]]ese in the [[9th century]], and they were first to cultivate it as an ornament. During the [[Edo Period]], it became a very popular ornamental flower. [[Aztec]] priests in [[Mexico]] were also known to use the plant's hallucinogenic properties to commune with their [[Aztec mythology|gods]] (see ''[[Rivea corymbosa]]'').

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 the morning glory's juice served to [[vulcanize]] the rubber, a process pre-dating [[Charles Goodyear]]'s discovery by at least 3,000 years.[http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1999/rubber-0714.html]

Because of their fast growth, twining habit, attractive flowers, and tolerance for poor, dry soils, some morning glories are excellent vines for creating summer [[shade]] on building walls when trellised, thus keeping the building cooler and reducing air conditioning costs.

In some places such as [[Australia]]n bushland morning glories develop thick roots and tend to grow in dense thickets. They can quickly spread by way of long creeping stems. By crowding out, blanketing and smothering other plants, morning glory has turned into a serious invasive weed problem.

==Culinary use==
''[[Ipomoea aquatica]]'', known as water spinach, water morning-glory, water convolvulus or swamp cabbage, is popularly used as a green vegetable especially in [[East Asia|East]] and [[Southeast Asia]]n [[cuisine]]s.

==Recreational use==
The [[seeds]] of many species of morning glory contain [[Ergine|d-lysergic acid amide]], [[ergoline]] [[alkaloid]]s better known as [[Ergine|LSA]]. Seeds of ''I. tricolor'' and ''I. corymbosa'' (syn. ''R. corymbosa'') are used as [[Psychedelics, Dissociatives and Deliriants|hallucinogen]]s. They are about 5% to 10% as potent as [[LSD]], and produce a similar effect when taken in the hundreds.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/02/AR2006050201413.html][http://www.slate.com/id/2141138/][http://www.drugscope.org.uk/druginfo/drugsearch/ds_results.asp?file=\wip\11\1\1\morning_glory.htm]

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Image:blue2glories.jpg|Blue Morning Glories
Image:Ipomoea purpurea 2400px.jpg|A fully open blue and purple morning glory
Image:Pink_Morning_Glory_2500px.jpg|A fully open pink morning glory
Image:Morning Glory Curled Side 1800px.jpg|Side view of a partially curled morning glory in early afternoon
Image:Morning Glory Curled Top 2250px.jpg|The top of partially curled morning glory in early afternoon
Image:Morning Glory Leaves 3284px.jpg|The leaves of a morning glory
</gallery>

== External links ==
{{wiktionarypar|morning glory}}
*[http://peyote.com/jonstef/morning.htm Morning Glories: Naturally Occurring Psychedelics Related to LSD]
*[http://www.erowid.org/plants/morning_glory/morning_glory.shtml Erowid Morning Glory Vault - section from Erowid's vast reference site.]
*[http://www.spiritelf.com/substances/morning_glory Morning Glory Information and Images]

{{Template:Hallucinogenic_lysergamides}}

[[Category:Convolvulaceae]]
[[Category:Herbal and fungal hallucinogens]]
[[Category:Natural sources of lysergamides]]

Morning Glory - Revision history

MediaWiki default at 04:04, 14 June 2007