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Morning Glory
BUSH INVADER
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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.
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| Dispersal |
Spreads from dumping on bushland edges. Stem fragments root down to form new plants where they contact the ground.
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| 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.
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| Distribution |
Lower Blue Mountains.
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| Alternative Planting |
Wonga Wonga Vines (Pandorea species); Old Man's Beard (Clematis aristata, C. glycinoides); Milk Vines (Marsdenia species).
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| 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.
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 Morning Glory blankets vegetation  Morning Glory's violet blue flowers fade to pink  Leaves have a heart-shaped base with three lobes
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