Description: This introduced annual vine is up to 6'
long, branching occasionally. The round stems are light green to dull red, and
more or less covered with white hair. They twine about surrounding vegetation,
or
sprawl about haphazardly. The alternate leaves are up to 4" long and across.
They are deeply 3-lobed and indented at the base. Each lobe is widest in the
middle and tapers to a blunt tip. The margins of the leaves are smooth and
somewhat undulating, while the upper surface is more or less hairy. The
petioles are hairy and almost as long as the leaves. The flowering stalks
develop from the axils of the leaves and are quite short (¼" or less),
producing 1-3 flowers. The flowers are funnelform and about 2" across. They can
be various shades of blue or purplish pink, and bloom primarily during the
mornings on sunny days. The throat of the corolla is white, where the
reproductive organs of the flower form a white column with a knobby tip. The
hairy green calyx is divided into 5 lobes that are linear-lanceolate and about
¾" long. These lobes often curl outward at their tips. Each flower is
replaced by a 3-celled capsule containing 4-6 seeds. The rather large seeds are
brown to black and wedge-shaped. They have a dull surface. The root system
consists of a taproot. This plant spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun,
mesic conditions, and fertile soil. The seeds don't germinate until the soil
becomes warm during early summer. This plant can be aggressive.
Range & Habitat: Ivy-Leaved Morning Glory is a
common plant that occurs in most areas of Illinois, except the NW, where it is
less common or absent (see
Distribution
Map). This plant was introduced from South America as an ornamental plant,
and it is probably still spreading throughout the state Habitats include
fields, abandoned fields, areas along roadsides and railroads, gardens, and
miscellaneous waste areas. So far this plant hasn't
invaded native
habitats to any significant degree, but it is quite common in disturbed areas,
especially cultivated fields, where it can be a major pest.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are pollinated by
bumblebees and other long-tongued bees. Some oligolectic visitors of flowers in
the Morning Glory family include Melitoma taurea (Mallow Bees),
Peponapis pruinosa pruinosa (Squash & Gourd Bee), and Cemolobus
ipomoeae (Morning Glory Bee). Various tortoise beetles feed on the foliage,
including Chelymorpha cassidea (Argus Tortoise Beetle) and
Charidiotella bicolor (Tortoise Beetle sp.), as do the caterpillars of
some moths, including Emmelina monodactyla (Common Plume Moth). The
large seeds are rarely eaten by birds, although the Ring-Necked Pheasant and
Bobwhite Quail utilize them as a food source to a limited extent. Similarly,
the foliage is rarely eaten by mammalian herbivores.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken of
a plant that was growing in railroad ballast in Champaign,
Illinois.
Comments: The short-lived
flowers are beautiful. Ivy-Leaved Morning Glory is easy to identify because of
the distinctive 3-lobed leaves. There is some variability in the hairiness of
the stems and foliage across different populations.