Morning Glory

BUSH INVADER

Ipomoea indica

family: CONVOLVULACEAE

Description

  • Vigorous fast-growing perennial twining climber from tropical America, growing to the top of the tree canopy and forming a dense blanket of foliage over all vegetation.
  • Leaves are large and light green with a heart-shaped base, and usually have three lobes. Both leaves and stems are hairy.
  • Large trumpet-shaped violet-blue flowers, fading to pink, are produced through most of the year.
  • Seed rarely if ever set in Australia. Spreads vegetatively.

Dispersal

Spreads from dumping on bushland edges. Stem fragments root down to form new plants where they contact the ground.

Impact on Bushland

Invades fragile creeklines and rainforest edges, growing rapidly to the canopy, blocking light, reducing photosynthesis, encouraging disease, preventing germination, breaking down trees. This vine and several others described on this website are in the forefront of ecosystem destruction.

Distribution

Lower Blue Mountains.

Alternative Planting

Native Plants
Wonga Wonga Vine (Pandorea pandorana)
Old Man's Beard
(Clematis aristata, Clematis glycinoides)
Dusky Coral Pea (Kennedia rubicunda)
Wombat Berry (Eustrephus latifolius)

Exotic alternatives
Madagascar Jasmine (Stephanotis floribunda)
Carolina Jessamine
(Gelsemium sempervirens)
Climbing Hydrangea
(Hydrangea anomyla subsp. petiolaris)

Control

Scrape, paint and dig, as described for Vines and Scramblers.
Do not pull out of trees and shrubs as this may cause considerable damage.

Picture of Morning Glory
Death of a forest: Morning Glory has blanketed the ground and the shrub layer in this Sydney Blue Gum forest, and is well on its way to the canopy. It began with garden dumping.

Morning Glory blankets vegetation

Morning Glory blankets vegetation.

Morning Glory's violet blue flowers fade to pink.

Morning Glory's violet blue flowers fade to pink.

Picture of Morning Glory leaves

Twining stems and lobed leaves of Morning Glory.