- "Mexican Morning Glory" redirects here. This can also refer to the red-flowered I. coccinea
Ipomea coccinea is a flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae known by several common names including Red Morning Glory, Redstar and Mexican Morning Glory.It was first described by Linnaeus in 1753.- References :...
.
Ipomoea tricolor is a species of
morning gloryIpomoea is the largest genus in the flowering plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 500 species. Most of these are called "morning glories", but this can refer to related genera also. Those formerly separated in Calonyction are called "moonflowers"...
native to the
New WorldThe New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
tropicsThe tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
, and widely cultivated and
naturalisedIn biology, naturalisation is any process by which a non-native organism spreads into the wild and its reproduction is sufficient to maintain its population. Such populations are said to be naturalised....
elsewhere. It is a herbaceous
annualAn annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
or
perennialA perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
twining
lianaA liana is any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous...
growing to 2-4 m tall. The
leavesA leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are spirally arranged, 3-7 cm long with a 1.5-6 cm long petiole. The
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are trumpet-shaped, 4-9 cm diameter, most commonly blue with a white to golden yellow centre.
Cultivation and uses
In cultivation, the species is very commonly grown mis-named as
Ipomoea violaceaIpomoea violacea is a perennial species of Ipomoea that occurs throughout the tropics, growing in coastal regions. It is most commonly called 'Beach Moonflower' or 'Sea Moonflower' as the flowers open at night...
, actually a different though related species.
Horticulture
Numerous
cultivarA cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s of
I. tricolor with different flower colours have been selected for use as
ornamental plantOrnamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
s; widely-grown examples include
Blue Star,
Flying Saucers,
Heavenly Blue,
Heavenly Blue Improved,
Pearly Gates,
Rainbow Flash,
Skylark,
Summer Skies and
Wedding Bells.
Some people consider this plant to be an
invasive weed"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
due to its fast rate of growth and its prodigious seed production.
Entheogenic use
The
seedA seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, vines, flowers, and leaves contain
ergolineErgoline is a chemical compound whose structural skeleton is contained in a diverse range of alkaloids including a few psychedelic drugs . Ergoline derivatives are used clinically for the purpose of vasoconstriction and in the treatment of migraines and Parkinson's disease...
alkaloids, and have been used for centuries by many
Mexican Native AmericanMexico, in the second article of its Constitution, is defined as a "pluricultural" nation in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it, and in which the indigenous peoples are the original foundation...
cultures as an
entheogenAn entheogen , in the strict sense, is a psychoactive substance used in a religious, shamanic, or spiritual context. Historically, entheogens were mostly derived from plant sources and have been used in a variety of traditional religious contexts...
; they were known to the
AztecThe Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
s as
tlitliltzin, the
NahuatlNahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
word for "black" with a reverential suffix. In South America, the seeds are also known as
badoh negro.
Richard Schultes in 1941 described Mexican Native American use in a short report documenting the use dating back to
AztecThe Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
times cited in
TiHKALTiHKAL: The Continuation is a 1997 book written by Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin about a family of psychoactive drugs known as tryptamines. A sequel to PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story, TiHKAL is an acronym that stands for Tryptamines I Have Known and Loved.-Content:TiHKAL, much like its...
by
Alexander ShulginAlexander "Sasha" Theodore Shulgin is an American pharmacologist, chemist, artist, and drug developer.Shulgin is credited with the popularization of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially for psychopharmaceutical use and the treatment of depression and...
. Further research was published in 1960, when Don Thomes MacDougall reported that the seeds of
Ipomoea tricolor were used as sacraments by certain Zapotecs, sometimes in conjunction with the seeds of
Rivea corymbosaTurbina corymbosa Turbina corymbosa Turbina corymbosa ((syn. Rivea corymbosa), the Christmas vine, is a species of morning glory, native throughout Latin America from Mexico in the North to Peru in the South and widely naturalised elsewhere. It is a perennial climbing vine with white flowers, often...
, another species which has a similar chemical composition, with
lysergolLysergol, is an alkaloid of the ergoline family that occurs as a minor constituent in some species of fungi , and in the morning glory family of plants , including the hallucinogenic seeds of Rivea corymbosa , Argyreia nervosa and Ipomoea violacea. Lysergol is not a controlled substance in the USA...
instead of ergometrine.
This more widespread knowledge has led to a rise in
entheogenAn entheogen , in the strict sense, is a psychoactive substance used in a religious, shamanic, or spiritual context. Historically, entheogens were mostly derived from plant sources and have been used in a variety of traditional religious contexts...
ic use by people other than Native Americans.
The hallucinogenic properties of the seeds are usually attributed to
ergineErgine, also known as d-lysergic acid amide , d-lysergamide, and LA-111, is an alkaloid of the ergoline family that occurs in various species of vines of the Convolvulaceae and some species of fungi...
(also known as
d-lysergic acid amide, or
LSAErgine, also known as d-lysergic acid amide , d-lysergamide, and LA-111, is an alkaloid of the ergoline family that occurs in various species of vines of the Convolvulaceae and some species of fungi...
), although the validity of the attribution remains disputed. While ergine is listed as a Schedule III substance in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, parts of the plant itself are not controlled, and seeds and plants are still sold by many nurseries and garden suppliers.
The seeds also contain
glycosideIn chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to a non-carbohydrate moiety, usually a small organic molecule. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzyme...
s, which may cause
nauseaNausea , is a sensation of unease and discomfort in the upper stomach with an involuntary urge to vomit. It often, but not always, precedes vomiting...
if consumed.
External links