Posts Tagged ‘convolvulaceae’
Ipomoea pes-caprae - Sand Ipomoea or Beach Morning Glory
Posted by: The Lorax in: ● June 16, 2008
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Ipomoea pes-caprae, growing on the beach at Curia, Santa Elena Province. Continuing this week’s theme of “things that grow in sand” is this member of the morning glory family, which has adapted specifically to the conditions offered by seafront sand beaches. It is salt-tolerant, wind-resistant, requires very little water, and, unchecked, spreads in huge mats along the marginal sand in this province. Propagation is by seed and cutting; the plant is extremely vigorous and can take over entire beaches if not managed.
Ipomoea tricolor ‘Heavenly Blue’- Bindweed or Morning Glory
Posted by: The Lorax in: ● June 3, 2008
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Ipomoea tricolor, growing near Vilcabamba, Loja Province. This is a large genus, with some 500 species in full global distribution. They are normally cultivated as garden plants for their spectacular and colourful flowers, however some species, notably Ipomoea batatas, also bear edible tubers. Yet other varieties are common invasive weeds and the bane of gardeners everywhere. This one was trying, unsuccessfully, to strangle an Aloe arborescens, but I left it alone because I love the colour of the flowers. Propagation is by seed, vine cutting, and root fragment; the plant thrives in most soils and water conditions. Flower colour is affected by soil pH, with more alkaline soils producing bluer flowers, and more acidic soils producing pinker flowers.
The other notable use is ethneogenic for the high concentration of alkaloids in the seeds of some species. These are strongly psychoactive and hallucenogenic, and have been used traditionally by Aztecs and Inca in vision quests. The compounds are in the same family as lysergic acid diethylamine (LSD) and are responsible for the hallucinogenic properties of morning glory.
