Ipomoea tricolor

Ipomoea Tricolor

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Ipomoea tricolor

Ipomoea tricolor is a species of morning glory

Ipomoea

The genus Ipomoea is the largest in the family Convolvulaceae, with over 500 species. Most of these are called "morning glory", but this can refer to related genera also....
native to the New World

New World

The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth, specifically the Americas and Australasia. When the term originated in the late 15th century, the Americas were new to the Europeans, who previously thought of the world as consisting only of Europe, Asia, and Africa ....
tropics

Tropics

The Tropics, seated in the equatorial regions of the world, are limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23?26' N latitude, and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at 23?26' S latitude....
, and widely cultivated and naturalised

Naturalisation (biology)

In biology, naturalisation is the process when foreign or cultivated plants or animals have spread into the wild, where they multiply by natural regeneration....
elsewhere. It is a herbaceous annual

Annual plant

An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates flowers and dies in one year. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed....
or perennial

Perennial plant

A perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants....
twining liana

Liana

The liana is any of various long-stemmed, usually 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 in order to get access to well-lit areas of the forest....
growing to 2-4 m tall. The leaves

Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
are spirally arranged, 3-7 cm long with a 1.5-6 cm long petiole. The flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s are trumpet-shaped, 4-9 cm diameter, most commonly blue with a white to golden yellow centre.

ultivation, the species is very commonly grown mis-named as Ipomoea violacea
Ipomoea violacea

Ipomoea 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 blooms, white in colour, open at night....
, actually a different though related species.

rous cultivar

Cultivar

A cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when Plant propagation it retains those characteristics....
s of I.

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Encyclopedia

Ipomoea tricolor is a species of morning glory
Ipomoea

The genus Ipomoea is the largest in the family Convolvulaceae, with over 500 species. Most of these are called "morning glory", but this can refer to related genera also....
native to the New World
New World

The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth, specifically the Americas and Australasia. When the term originated in the late 15th century, the Americas were new to the Europeans, who previously thought of the world as consisting only of Europe, Asia, and Africa ....
tropics
Tropics

The Tropics, seated in the equatorial regions of the world, are limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23?26' N latitude, and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at 23?26' S latitude....
, and widely cultivated and naturalised
Naturalisation (biology)

In biology, naturalisation is the process when foreign or cultivated plants or animals have spread into the wild, where they multiply by natural regeneration....
elsewhere. It is a herbaceous annual
Annual plant

An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates flowers and dies in one year. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed....
or perennial
Perennial plant

A perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants....
twining liana
Liana

The liana is any of various long-stemmed, usually 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 in order to get access to well-lit areas of the forest....
growing to 2-4 m tall. The leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
are spirally arranged, 3-7 cm long with a 1.5-6 cm long petiole. The flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
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 violacea
Ipomoea violacea

Ipomoea 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 blooms, white in colour, open at night....
, actually a different though related species.

Horticulture
Numerous cultivar
Cultivar

A cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when Plant propagation it retains those characteristics....
s of I. tricolor with different flower colours have been selected for use as ornamental plant
Ornamental plant

Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower garden or as house plants. Most commonly they are grown for the display of their flowers. Other common ornamental features include leaves, scent, fruit, Plant stem and bark....
s; widely-grown examples include 'Blue Star', 'Flying Saucers', 'Heavenly Blue', 'Heavenly Blue Improved', 'Pearly Gates', 'Rainbow Flash', 'Summer Skies' and 'Wedding Bells'.

Some people consider this plant to be an invasive weed
Invasive species

Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically....
due to its fast rate of growth and its prodigious seed production.

Hallucinogenic use
The seed
Seed

A seed is a small Plant embryogenesis plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some Food storage. 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 contain ergoline
Ergoline

Ergoline is a chemical Chemical compound whose structural skeleton is contained in a diverse range of alkaloids and a few psychedelic Psychoactive drug ....
alkaloids, and have been used for centuries by many Mexican Native American
Indigenous peoples of Mexico

Mexico, in the second article of its constitution of Mexico, 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 a hallucinogen
Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants

The general group of pharmacology agents commonly known as hallucinogens can be divided into three broad categories: Psychedelic drugs, dissociatives, and deliriants....
; they were known to the Aztec
Aztec

Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl and who achieved political and military dominance over large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the Late post-Classic period in Mesoamerican chronology....
s as tlitliltzin, the Nahuatl word for "black" with a reverential suffix. In South America, the seeds are also known as badoh negro.

Their traditional use was first discovered by Richard Schultes in 1941 described Mexican Native American use, in a short report documenting the use going back to Aztec
Aztec

Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl and who achieved political and military dominance over large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the Late post-Classic period in Mesoamerican chronology....
times cited in TiHKAL
TiHKAL

TiHKAL is a 1997 book written by Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin about a family of psychoactive drugs known as tryptamines. A sequel to PiHKAL, the full title of the book is Tryptamines i Have Known And Loved: The Continuation....
by Alexander Shulgin
Alexander Shulgin

Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin is a Russian-American pharmacologist, chemist and psychoactive drug developer.Shulgin is credited with the popularization of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine in the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially for psychopharmacology use and the treatment of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder....
. Further research was published in 1960, when Don Thomes MacDougall reported that the seeds of Ipomoea tricolor were used as sacraments by certain Zapotec
Zapotec

The Zapotecs are an Indigenous peoples of Mexico people of Mexico. The population is concentrated in the southern Political divisions of Mexico of Oaxaca, but Zapotec communities exist in neighboring states as well....
s, sometimes in conjunction with the seeds of Rivea corymbosa
Rivea corymbosa

Rivea corymbosa , is a species of morning glory, native throughout Latin America from Mexico in the North to Peru in the South and widely naturalised elsewhere....
, another species which has a similar chemical composition, with lysergol instead of ergometrine. This more widespread knowledge has led to a rise in recreational use by people other than Native Americans.

The hallucinogenic properties of the seeds are usually attributed to ergine
Ergine

LSA, also known as d-lysergic acid amide, d-lysergamide, ergine, 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 LSA
Ergine

LSA, also known as d-lysergic acid amide, d-lysergamide, ergine, 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 States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, 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 glycoside
Glycoside

In chemistry, glycosides are certain molecules in which a sugar part is bound to some other part. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms....
s, and these compounds are the likely cause of nausea
Nausea

Nausea is the sensation of unease and discomfort in the stomach with an urge to vomit....
reported by those who have eaten the seeds, although most experienced users attribute the effect to the commercial treatment of the seeds, as the nausea is much less common when the seeds are home-grown without any pesticides. However, minor to medium-level cramp
Cramp

For the heraldic device, see cramp ; for the band, see The CrampsCramps, , are very unpleasant, often painful, sensations caused by contraction or over shortening of muscles....
s and a mild headache
Headache

In medicine a headache or wiktionary:cephalalgia is a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and sometimes neck. Some of the causes are benign while others are medical emergencies....
is common in inexperienced users, due to the glycosides the seeds contain.

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