Quick Facts

Quick facts

• Thought to have originated in tropical Africa and Asia, Morning Glory (Ipomoea cairica) is vigorous perennial climber that is capable of very rapid growth.
• Infestations can smother native vegetation, reducing biodiversity and displacing native animals.
• Was widely cultivated as a garden ornamental.
• Occurs mostly in coastal areas particularly on river banks and tolerates a wide variety of soils types from Queensland to southern NSW.
• Spread by seed and stem fragments that can root and form new plants.
• Can be controlled by herbicides and physical removal,  but stems should be removed from sites as these can root and form new plants.

What Does It Look Like?

What is it?

Morning Glory (Ipomoea cairica) is a vigorous perennial climber. The trailing and twining stems are hairless or nearly so which readily root at the nodes and exude a white sap when cut. The numerous glabrous (smooth, without hairs, scales or bristles) leaves are deeply divided into 5 to 7 lobes. The leaf lobes are lance-shaped to ovate (shaped like a section through the long axis of an egg and attached by the wider end) or oval in outline with the longest lobe being 4 to 9 cm long. The leaf stalks are 2 to 5 cm long.

The flowers have five petals that make up the corolla (the petals of a flower collectively)  which are fused into a large showy funnel-shaped tube like a trumpet. The corolla is 6 to 8 cm across and mostly violet to purplish-violet rarely white or pink, with a darker throat. The flowers are solitary or grouped together into clusters of 2 to 3. Each cluster is borne on a stalk 0.5 to 7 cm long arising from the junction of the leaf stalk and the stem.

The two-chambered fruit is a capsule, and is are more or less spherical in shape and 9 to 11 mm in diameter. The seeds are egg-shaped, 4 to 5 mm diameter and densely hairy (Johnson 1986; Johnson 1992; Land Protection 2006).

For further information and assistance with identification of Morning Glory contact the herbarium in your state or territory.

Flower colour

Blue, White, Purple, Pink

Growth form (weed type/habit)

Vine

Where it currently grows? Preferred habitat

Morning Glory is common in coastal areas particularly on river banks and tolerates a wide variety of soils types (Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group 2000; Land Protection 2006). A weed of waste areas, disturbed sites, rainforest margins, open woodlands, bushland, gardens, fences, coastal sand dunes and vegetation growing near waterways (i.e. riparian areas). It inhabits tropical, sub-tropical and warmer temperate environments (especially near the coast).

Are there similar species?

Morning Glory is easily distinguished from similar species by the deeply divided leaves with 5-7 lobes (Land Protection 2006).

Why Is It A Weed?

What are its impacts?

Morning Glory is a rampant, rapidly growing climber affecting native ecosystems and urban or peri-urban environments. It prefers coastal areas and is also common along riverbanks away from coastal areas. It is capable of smothering all vegetation and growing over fences lines and smaller strictures. The weight of vine can crush other species on which it grows. Also a weed of waste areas, disturbed sites, rainforest margins, open woodlands, bushland, gardens, fences, coastal sand dunes and vegetation growing near waterways (i.e. riparian areas). It inhabits tropical, sub-tropical and warmer temperate environments (especially near the coast).

Native ecosystems: Morning Glory spreads quickly either forming a dense mat along the ground or climbing on any vertical support into the canopy sometimes up to 4.5 m. Infestations can smother native vegetation, reducing biodiversity and displacing native animals due to habitat destruction (Land Protection 2006).

Urban areas: Also a weed delegated to abandoned area including gardens, fence-lines, roadsides, and riparian areas by creeks and drains. 

How does it spread?

Morning Glory is dispersed by seed. The seed is spread by water and birds (Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group 2000). It can also roots at stem nodes and can spread when stems are transported to other locations. This can occur via dumped garden waste and on machinery, and via natural means when broken stems are transported via flooding or waterways. 

What is its history in Australia?

Morning Glory was widely cultivated as a garden ornamental and has become naturalised in many coastal areas (Johnson 1992).

How To Manage It?

Best practice management

Morning Glory can be removed by physical and chemical means. However, if any stems or rhizome roots left on site will resprout as the species reproduces vegetatively by rooting along its stems. These stem fragments and viable seeds should be removed from sites is to prevent regrowth and subsequent germination of seed. Herbicide and physical means are often used together to control this weed.

Non-chemical control: Morning Glory can be removed by physical means. However, care should be taken to remove the stem, crown and roots as it can regrow from them if left in the ground (Land Protection 2006).

Chemical control: Herbicides applied as a foliar sprayed can be effective in areas where Morning Glory forms and dense groundcover. Also stems of individual vines can be scraped and painted with herbicide (Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group 2000). The cut stump method is suitable for treating this climber vines if it is actively growing and not stressed with application of herbicide to cult stems. The stem scraping is a method is also  suitable for this climber with thin and relatively soft bark issue, which are actively growing and not stressed, scraping and applying herbicide.

Please see the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority for chemical information http://www.apvma.gov.au 

Does it have a biological control agent?

NO

When does it grow? (lifecycle/growth calendar)

Morning Glory is a vigorous perennial climber that is capable of very rapid growth (Land Protection 2006). It flowers throughout the year (Johnson 1986; Johnson 1992), and is presewnt and actively growing in  tropical to sub-tropical environments. It is adapted to grow cooler areas with  seasonal fluctuations and because of its tuberous roots, it has been observed that the top part of the plant may die and later resprouts when environmental conditions are favorable. 

Where Is It Found?

Which states and territories is it found?

NSW, QLD, SA, WA

What areas within states and territories is it found?

Morning Glory is naturalised mostly in coastal or subcoastal areas from Cape York Peninsula, Queensland to the south coast of New South Wales (Johnson 1992; Queensland Herbarium 2007). 

It is also recorded in Western Australia from Geraldton to Mandurah, 

Recorded from the Eyre Peninsula region of South Australia (AVH 2021). 

Morning Glory is also reported from a few inland localities in Queensland (e.g. Longreach and Hebel) and New South Wales (Tamworth and Sturt National Park) (AVH 2021; Johnson 1992; Queensland Herbarium 2007).

Where does it originate?

The exact origin of Morning Glory is unknown,  but it is thought to have originated in tropical Africa and Asia but is now distributed throughout the tropics from Africa, Asia, Pacific Islands and South America (Fang & Staples 1995).

National And State Weed Listings

Is it a Weed of National Significance (WONS)?

NO

Where is it a declared weed?

Not declared in any states or territories 

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Is it on the National Alert List for Environmental Weeds?

NO

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Is it on the Agricultural Sleeper List?

NO

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Names And Taxonomy

Main scientific name

Ipomoea cairica

Other scientific names (synonyms)?

• Convolvulus cairicus L.
• Convolvulus pendulus (R.Br.) Spreng.
• Convolvulus tuberculata Desr.
• Ipomoea palmata Forssk.
• Ipomoea pendula R.Br.
• Ipomoea tuberculata (Desr.) Roem. & Schult.

Does it have other known common name(s)?

Mile-a-minute, Coastal Morning Glory, Coast Morning Glory, Five-leaved Morning Glory, Five-leafed Morning Glory