What are the latest information and introductions about morning glory?
Morning glory is also known by the aliases trumpet flower, jinjiaolazi, large morning glory, qinniangzi, and so on. It is an annual twining herbaceous vine of the genus Ipomoea in the Convolvulaceae family. Its corolla is trumpet-shaped, and its flower colors are bright and beautiful. Besides being cultivated for ornamental purposes, its seeds are a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. Let us take a look below at what information there is about morning glory!
Morphological Characteristics
The stems of morning glory are covered with reversed short soft hairs and mixed with reversed or spreading long stiff hairs. The leaves are broadly ovate or nearly round, and the petioles are 2-15 cm long. The flowers are axillary, solitary or usually 2 borne at the top of the peduncle, and the peduncles vary in length. The corolla is funnel-shaped, blue-purple or purple-red, and the corolla tube is lighter in color. The stamens and style are included, the filaments are pubescent at the base, the ovary is hairless, and the stigma is capitate. The capsule is nearly spherical, and the seeds are ovate-trigonous, black-brown or cream-yellow, covered with brown short down.
Growth Habits
Morning glory is native to tropical America and grows on mountain slopes in shrub thickets, along roadsides in dry river valleys, beside gardens and homes, and along mountain roads at altitudes of 100-1600 m, or is cultivated. It is vigorous by nature, prefers a mild climate, sufficient light, and moderate ventilation. It has strong adaptability to soil, is relatively tolerant of drought and saline-alkali conditions, and is not afraid of high temperatures and extreme summer heat. It is a deep-rooted plant, so when planted in the ground the soil should be deep. It is commonly cultivated throughout China for ornamental purposes, and is distributed in most regions except some provinces in the northwest and northeast.
Medicinal Value
The seeds of morning glory are a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. The black ones are called “heichou” and the cream-yellow ones are called “baichou”. They contain resin glycosides, pigments, fatty oils, organic acids, and other components. Heichou is mostly used in medicine. It has the effects of promoting diuresis and draining water, and is mainly used to treat edema and abdominal distension, difficult urination and defecation, and other conditions. Grind it into a fine powder, add egg white, apply it to the affected area before going to sleep, wash it off with clean water the next morning, and use it continuously for one week to help eliminate freckles. However, heichou is somewhat toxic, so it must never be taken orally.
Symbolic Meaning
⟦NL>Morning glory represents love, calm, illusory and elusive romance, and “temporary love”. The birthday flower meaning of morning glory is “if you possess perfect love, please cherish your youthful beauty, enjoy this love well, and your happy life will begin to be filled with joy.” The meaning of morning glory lies in tenacity. Her indomitable spirit and tenacious desire to survive are the true value and meaning of life's existence.