Plant Name
Scientific Name: Ipomoea hederacea
Synonyms: Ipomoea barbigera, I. desertorum, I. hirsutula, Pharbitis barbigera, P. hederacea
Common Names: Ivyleaf Morning-glory, Ivyleaf Morning Glory, Woolly Morning-glory, Ivy-leaved Morning Glory, Mexican Morningglory, Entireleaf Morningglory
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Annual
Growth Habit: Vine, Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Introduced. This weedy, naturalized plant is native to tropical America, but there is the possibility that it is native to this part of Arizona as well.
Habitat: Desert, Upland, Riparian
Flower Color: Blue, Purple, Magenta, White
Flowering Season: Summer, Fall. It blooms after the summer monsoons rains.
Height: Climbing to 8 feet (2.4 m) tall
Description: The flowers have 5 long, slender, hairy sepals and are tubular, funnel-shaped, and up to 2 inches (5 cm) wide. The flowers are only open in the morning. The leaves are green, hairy, and are usually 3-lobed, but they may also be 5-lobed or heart-shaped. The stems are green, slender, hairy, and twining.
The similar Canyon Morning-glory (Ipomoea barbatisepala) has hairless leaves and stems, leaves with narrower lobes, and smaller, more angular flowers.
Special Characteristics
Legal Status – Arizona State-listed Noxious Weed (Prohibited Noxious Weed)
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Solanales
Family: Convolvulaceae – Morning-glory family
Genus: Ipomoea L. – morning-glory
Species: Ipomoea hederacea Jacq. – ivyleaf morning-glory
More About This Plant