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  4. Ipomoea indica

Ipomoea indica

Ipomoea indica.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Wanganui.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Wellsford.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 08/03/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Wellsford.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 08/03/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Wellsford.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 08/03/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Calyces showing long acuminate sepals. Wellsford.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 08/03/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Ipomoea indica.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Ipomoea indica.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Barkla, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Ipomoea indica.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Ipomoea indica.<br>Photographer: Auckland Regional Council, Licence: Public domain.
Pest plant

NPPA pest plant

Environmental Weed

Environmental Weed (2024)

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Common names

blue morning glory

Biostatus

Exotic

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Lianes & Related Trailing Plants - Dicotyledons

Flower colours

Blue, Violet/Purple

Detailed description

High-climbing, fibrous-rooted, hairy perennial. Stems twining and running. Petioles around 2~20cm long, often purplish, densely hairy, otherwise smooth. Lamina usu. deeply 3-lobed, 5~18 x 5~16 cm, generally silky hairy below; sinuses rounded; terminal lobe usually ovate apart from the generally narrow base, acute to acuminate; lateral lobes broad and asymmetric. Infl. axillary, few-flowered. Peduncles long, often > leaves, with retrorse hairs. Pedicels generally densely clothed in retrorse hairs. Bracts and bracteoles > pedicels, usu. narrow-linear, but sometimes small, simple, foliose basal bracts present. Sepals 1.8~2.5cm long, narrow-lanceolate, acuminate, hairy esp. on margins and towards base. Corolla 8.5~10 x 9~10.5cm, funnelform; tube pink except for narrow white base; limb usually deep blue or purple with pink mid-petaline bands on the outside, often withering by afternoon and turning completely pink. Stamens 2.3~4cm long, included; fused basal part of filaments broad and white-bearded at top. Style slightly exceeding longest stamens; stigma capitate, alveolate. (- Webb et. al., 1988)

Similar taxa

The plant is a perennial, high climbing herb, with 3-lobed leaves (Webb et. al. 1988; Department of Conservation 1996). The flowers are large and deep blue (Department of Conservation 1996). The stems are twining and running (Webb et. al. 1988; Department of Conservation 1996). The leaves are hairy and triangular (Northland Regional Council n.d.). Leaves are heart-shaped, usually 3-lobed and hairy; stems are often purplish; funnel-shaped flowers up to 10 cm across and intense blue or purple; seed capsules

Habitat

Terrestrial.

Conservation status

Not applicable

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Convolvulaceae

Authority

Ipomoea indica (Burrman) Merr.

Ecology

Flowering

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Fruiting

not seen

Year naturalised

1950

Origin

pantropical

Reason for introduction

Ornamental

Life cycle and dispersal

Perennial. Morning glory spreads vegetatively , with nodes fastening to the soil and sending out new roots. Broken plant pieces from, for example, passing animals or weeding will form a new plant and increase the size of any current infestation. (Ermert and Clapp 1998). Viable seed was not thought to be formed in New Zealand (Webb et. al. 1988; Department of Conservation 1996). However, in 1996 a plant was found in the Bay of Plenty producing large amounts of seed with seedlings nearby (Ford, 1998). Fruit has not been seen (Webb et. al. 1988).

Other information

Etymology

ipomoea: Worm-like, referring to coiled flower bud

National Pest Plant Accord species

This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand. For up to date information and an electronic copy of the 2020 Pest Plant Accord manual (including plant information and images) visit the MPI website.

Environmental Weed (2024)

This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.

NVS code

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

IPOIND

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