* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Many Flowers – One Name Most people recognize a Morning Glory
Survey
Document related concepts
Ornamental bulbous plant wikipedia , lookup
Ecology of Banksia wikipedia , lookup
Plant physiology wikipedia , lookup
Flowering plant wikipedia , lookup
Plant evolutionary developmental biology wikipedia , lookup
Plant defense against herbivory wikipedia , lookup
Plant breeding wikipedia , lookup
Plant secondary metabolism wikipedia , lookup
Plant reproduction wikipedia , lookup
Gartons Agricultural Plant Breeders wikipedia , lookup
Plant morphology wikipedia , lookup
Plant ecology wikipedia , lookup
Plant use of endophytic fungi in defense wikipedia , lookup
Glossary of plant morphology wikipedia , lookup
Transcript
Many Flowers – One Name Most people recognize a Morning Glory when they see one. They recognize the large, trumpetbell shaped flower, usually white, pink, sky blue, or purple, growing on a vine with large leaves. In some places Morning Glories are grown as beautiful garden plants; in other places they are considered noxious weeds. More than a thousand different plant species have been given the common name “Morning Glory” which refers to the fact that the plant opens new flowers every morning and by the end of the day the flower curls up, never to open again. The Morning Glories all belong to the Convolvulaceae (con-volve-you-lacy-ee) family which is found mostly in the New World tropics. Today the plants are cultivated throughout the world, far beyond their original tropical range. The family name comes from the fact that most of its members are vines or vine-like and their stems twist or wind around when growing. The Latin word “convolvere” means “to wind” and the family name is based on the Latin. There are more than 1500 species spread through about 60 genera in this family. The largest and best known genus is Ipomoea (Ip-uh-mee-yuh) and it contains about 650 species . One example within that genus that is not really a Morning Glory is the Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas). Other members of the family include the invasive and attractive cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) and the infamous mile-a-minute weed (Ipomoea cairica) . Arizona and Arkansas have decided to declare ALL members of this genus as noxious weeds (except the Mexican bush Morning Glory and two other species) and ban their importation to and sale within the state. At least one member of the Morning Glory genus is a late sleeper. The Moon vine (Ipomoea alba) is a night blooming Morning Glory. It has a large white flower that opens at dusk and stays open all night. In the tropics this plant is perennial, but in our temperate climate it only grows as an annual, which is true for many Morning Glories. It will not reseed itself unless the seed coats are nicked with a file which allows them to soak up water and germinate. In nature the nicking is probably done by rodents who nick the seeds by gnawing. Morning Glories are amazing chemical factories. They or organisms living on or inside them called symbionts, produce a large variety of chemicals, some of which are psycho-active or hallucinogenic. One particular class of chemicals, ergoline alkaloids, are produced by fungi that are commonly found living in symbiosis with the Morning Glory. The fungus is transmitted from plant to plant via the seed. Thus the seeds of a plant having the fungal symbiont will carry the fungus to the daughter plant. Another class of chemicals is the loline alkaloids that are effective insecticides. These and other chemicals are concentrated in the seed and thus the seeds should not be eaten. The concentration and potency of the chemical can vary from plant to plant or seed to seed and large potent doses can cause serious or painful health issues. PHOTO A “Heavenly Blue” Morning Glory (Ipoema tricolor) growing on a trellis in Alliance in midAugust. Note the white throat, yellow center and sky blue color that are characteristic of this particular variety.