Ipomoea purpurea

(Linn.) Roth

Common morning glory, Tall morning glory

ConvolvulaceaeLeavesRootsPotential hazards — see below
Caution — Parts of this plant may be toxic or require specific preparation. Verify with multiple sources before consuming.
Ipomoea purpurea
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) jaguarundi_2025, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Ipomoea purpurea
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Dan Beckman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Dan Beckman
Ipomoea purpurea
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Angel Rios Oviedo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Angel Rios Oviedo

What to Eat

Edible parts: Roots, Leaves, Caution, Vegetable

No edible uses are known for this plant.

Known Hazards

Commercial morning glory seeds are commonly treated with toxic methylmercury, which serves as a preservative and a cumulative neurotoxic poison that is considered useful by some to discourage their recreational use. The US has no legal requirement to disclose to buyers that seeds have been treated with a toxic heavy metal compound. According to the book Substances of Abuse, in addition to methylmercury, the seeds are commonly coated with a chemical that cannot be removed with washing that is designed to cause unpleasant physical symptoms, such as nausea and abdominal pain. The book states that this chemical is also toxic.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows in hot arid places often with a marked dry season. It grows between 650-1,680 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 2,000 m above sea level.

Africa, America*, Argentina, Australia, Asia, Brazil, Central Asia, Chile, China, East Africa, Eswatini, Europe, Himalayas, Indonesia, Kenya, Korea, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, North America, Pakistan, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Slovenia, South Africa, South America, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Uruguay, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Countries: Andorra, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Albania, Armenia, Angola, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Barbados, Bangladesh, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Burundi, Benin, Brunei, Bolivia, Brazil, Bahamas, Bhutan, Botswana, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Switzerland, Cote d'Ivoire, Chile, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Djibouti, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Ecuador, Estonia, Egypt, Eritrea, Spain, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, United Kingdom, Grenada, Georgia, French Guiana, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Comoros, St Kitts & Nevis, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, St Lucia, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Libya, Morocco, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, Madagascar, North Macedonia, Mali, Myanmar, Mongolia, Mauritania, Malta, Mauritius, Maldives, Malawi, Mexico, Malaysia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, Oman, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sudan, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sierra Leone, San Marino, Senegal, Somalia, Suriname, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, El Salvador, Syria, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Taiwan, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uganda, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A twining herb. It can lie along the ground or climb to 2.5 m high. The leaves are oval and can have 3 lobes. They are 4-16 cm long by 3-15 cm wide. The flowers are white pink or red. They are funnel shaped.

How to Grow

Propagation: Pre-soak seed for 12 hours in warm water or scarify it, then sow in individual pots in a greenhouse in early spring. Germination usually occurs within 1–3 weeks at 22°C. Plants are extremely resentful of root disturbance even when small, so should be potted up almost as soon as they germinate. Grow them on quickly in the greenhouse and plant out into permanent positions after the last expected frosts, considering cloche protection until they are growing away actively.

Medicinal Uses

The seed is anthelmintic, diuretic, and laxative, and is used in the treatment of oedema, oliguria, ascariasis, and constipation. The seed contains small quantities of the hallucinogen LSD, which has been used medicinally in the treatment of various mental disorders.

Other Uses

No other uses are known for this plant.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Ipomoea purpurea, the common morning-glory, tall morning-glory, or purple morning glory, is a species in the genus Ipomoea, native to Mexico and Central America.

Other Information

It is a famine food.

Names & Synonyms

Bejuco, Bom-dia, Campanilla, Corriola, Ijalapha, Ijalmu, Pan-kazun-nwe, Ravimbomangan'alika, škrlatni lepi slak, Suspiros, Ubhoqo

Ipomoea gerrardiana RendleConvolvulus purpureus L.
References (11)
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