Morning glory

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Morning glory

Ipomoea species

This morning glory was growing along the same roadside as the railroad vine I sketched at the end of September.  Areas like these are known as ruderal, disturbed sites that have had the original vegetation removed, paving the way for colonizer plants that are often thought of as weedy or invasive.  You have to be tough to be a colonizer, though, for sometimes the ground has been stripped of topsoil, or replaced by nutrient-poor fill material.

Morning glory bloom.

I’m not sure which morning glory this is, especially since there are so many species throughout our state.  The closest I’ve come to an identification is Ipomoea cordatotriboba (also known as I. trichocarpa).  The leaves look correct, but my bloom color is more blue than the photos in my plant books and online. 

I’ve read that morning glory blooms are sometimes more blue in the early morning, turning lavender to pink as the day passes.  These were a bright purple-blue when open, but I noticed that the spent blooms were a pale pink/lavender on the underside.  Perhaps one of you can help with the identification.

Worm-like?  Maybe...

Morning glory is a member of the Convolvulaceae family, as is the railroad vine.  The genus Ipomoea drives from two Greek words: ips (a worm) and homoios (resembling).  The twining and curling vines are thought to have put the author in mind of worm-like behavior.  Personally, I think they’re too beautiful for such a epithet! 

Media:

The Sketchbook Project sketchbook,

Pitt Artist pen in black, size XS for the sketch, and S for the text

Kimberly watercolor pencils,

Niji Aquabrush, medium size.

For further reading:

Universityof Florida and Lee County  IFAS Extension.  One of their photos has blooms are closer in color to those in my drawing.