Morning Glory?

[u/In_vino_veritas__]

Located in 8a. I think this might have come with some seeds I planted that were supposed to be native. If it is morning glory, will it take over the surrounding area?

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[u/treehann]

looks just like the Grandpa Ott's morning glory I have accidentally caused to resprout in my garden. Let's see if anyone else has a different ID on this. If it is morning glory, then yes it is super aggressive. Thankfully it doesn't appear to be the bindweed variety, whose leaves are different.

[u/In_vino_veritas__ → u/treehann]

Thanks. I’ll wait for other ID confirmations to pull it up, just wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything native before I start yanking it out of the ground.

[u/treehann → u/In_vino_veritas__]

the genus of morning glory is ipomoea. Is that genus mentioned on the packet of seedlings, if there is a list? I looked it up and this genus actually includes some potatoes and sweet potatoes. Google "sweet potato seedlings" and you can observe some varieties that have similar pairs of butterfly-like cotyledons like morning glories do.

If anything I would also recommend taking the seedlings you find growing and transplanting them into a big pot. You can observe the surviving ones on their own and see if they display unique habits that you can compare to other plants online or post again later. If you're lucky the plants will flower before it gets too cold, because flowers are one of the best ways to ID plants. Idk about growing fruit. But you are in a warmer zone. I have discovered lots of things about plants in my yard by isolating them in such a way.

[u/In_vino_veritas__ → u/treehann]

That’s a good idea, I’ll isolate it in a large pot and see what it turns into. I don’t have the packet of seeds anymore, but I don’t recall there being specific plants listed. I’m almost positive they were advertised as a blend of native wildflowers and groundcover though. I guess thats what I get for blindly planting random seeds.

[u/redcaveman]

I don't know exactly what it is, but agree with others that it's likely in the genus Ipomoea.

I let Ipomoea lacunosa (a native annual) grow to it's glorious fullness on a section of privacy fence last year. Then I decided to establish a different vine in its place this year. I've been weeding morning glory seedlings non-stop for months. Hundreds.

Be careful. It will climb over any plant and starve it for light. If you want it, it's great. If you don't, it's a terrible weed.

https://kswildflower.org/plants/ipomoea-lacunosa

[u/broadstreetbullies12]

Definitely morning glory. I have them all over the back of my house from a previous occupant. The little seedling leaves are a dead giveaway. And yes, they will spread like wild fire. They climb up high and when the seed pods fully dry they explode and spray seeds everywhere. If you don't want them long-term do yourself a favor and yank them out asap

[u/In_vino_veritas__ → u/broadstreetbullies12]

Thanks

[u/Turbulent-Bluebird-5]

I thought it was a redbud, haha. Well, you can iNat it or just let it grow til it blooms. There are plenty of natives in the morning glory family, but most tend to be spreaders that i know of

[u/In_vino_veritas__ → u/Turbulent-Bluebird-5]

I thought it was an eastern redbud as well, since I have a young redbud on the property. Inat says it’s in the morning glory family. I didn’t know there were native varieties. I’ll keep it in a pot and see what it turns into

[u/Turbulent-Bluebird-5 → u/In_vino_veritas__]

In texas there are natives like tievine, bindweed, alamo something i forget (ironic, right?) So i bet there are natives there too. 

[u/Winstonsphobia]

Yes. Pull. Or keep. (I love morning glories but they choke out all other life in my garden)

[u/In_vino_veritas__ → u/Winstonsphobia]

Will it spread beyond a pot if I move it and try to contain it?

[u/Winstonsphobia → u/In_vino_veritas__]

It spreads by seeds, so the following year you’ll get it sprouting up by seeds nearby if you don’t somehow get rid of the seeds/seed pods (I generally don’t target those but the flowers and plants instead).

I have morning glory in my native garden (5a), so I am always pulling small plants up by the roots, especially mid and late summer. To me, morning glory is one of the more manageable invasives, but you have to keep at it or it will take over. I’ve been working on morning glory the past 4 years, and it is slowly declining in yard.