# common morning-glory (*Ipomoea purpurea*) The common morning-glory is a beautiful flower that blooms in bright colors like purple, blue, and pink. It opens its petals in the morning and closes them at night, making it a special sight to see! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 4 - **Habitat:** Urban areas ![common morning-glory](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/BlueMorningGlory.jpg&width=800) Photo: Original uploader was PiccoloNamek at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BlueMorningGlory.jpg) ## Appearance The common morning-glory is a fast-growing vine with heart-shaped leaves and beautiful, trumpet-shaped flowers. Its blooms often feature vibrant shades of purple, blue, pink, or white, sometimes with a star-like pattern in the throat, making it distinct from smaller wild ivies. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Solanales - **Family:** Convolvulaceae - **Genus:** Ipomoea ## Interesting facts - Each morning-glory flower is like a tiny satellite dish, pointing towards the sky! - Some types of morning-glory flowers can change color slightly throughout the day! - The vine always twists clockwise as it climbs, like a natural right-handed corkscrew! - This plant's seeds can stay alive in the soil for over 50 years, waiting to sprout! ## Special abilities - **Sun Seeker:** Common morning-glory can quickly twine its stems around structures, climbing upwards to capture maximum sunlight for growth. - **Daily Bloom Show:** It has flowers that open fresh each morning and close by afternoon, perfectly timed for daily pollinator visits. - **Seed Spreader:** This plant produces many seeds, ensuring new morning-glories can grow easily in different places year after year. - **Natural Protector:** Its seeds contain special compounds that taste bad to some animals, helping to defend against hungry munchers. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 200-400 cm - **Spread:** 50-200 cm - **Flower Size:** 3-7 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer to fall - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Moderate - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** common eastern bumblebee (*Bombus impatiens*) — collects nectar and pollen - **Pollinates:** [monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — sips nectar from flowers - **Eaten by:** potato aphid (*Macrosiphum euphorbiae*) — sucks sap from leaves and stems - **Eaten by:** beet armyworm (*Spodoptera exigua*) — larvae feed on leaves ## Traits - [Climbing/Vine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/climbing-vine): Climbing or vine plants are characterized by a growth habit that allows them to ascend upwards by twining, tendrils, or adhesive roots. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low While morning-glories are pretty, some parts can be harmful if eaten, so it's best to admire them from a distance. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify common morning-glory? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is common morning-glory? 200-400 cm ### How wide does common morning-glory spread? 50-200 cm ### How big are the flowers on common morning-glory? 3-7 cm ### When does common morning-glory bloom? Summer to fall ### Is common morning-glory edible? No ### Is common morning-glory toxic? Moderate ### What is common morning-glory's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [New River Gorge National Park and Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/new-river-gorge-national-park-and-preserve) — West Virginia, US · National Park - [Duke Farms](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/duke-farms) — New Jersey, US · Nature Reserve - [Gillsville Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/gillsville-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District - [Harry S. Truman Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/harry-s-truman-historic-district) — Missouri, US · Historic District [View all places to see common morning-glory](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/common-morning-glory) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Common Morning-glory: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-morning-glory)