What Is the Difference Between Morning Glory and Petunia? A Quick Guide to Telling Them Apart

Morning glory generally refers to Ipomoea nil, also known as morning glory, bowl flower, and trumpet flower, and is distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. So where does it differ from petunia?

1. Where is the difference between morning glory and petunia?

1. Morphology

Morning glory is an annual twining herb, with the stem covered in backward-pointing short soft hairs mixed with backward-pointing or spreading long stiff hairs. The leaf surface is sparsely or densely covered with slightly stiff soft hairs; the petiole is 2-15 cm long, with the same hair covering as the stem.

Petunia is a perennial herb, often grown as an annual or biennial; the plant height is 15-80cm, and there are also clumping and trailing types; the leaves are elliptical or ovate.

2. Habits

Morning glory is highly adaptable to soil, and can survive in some acidic or alkaline soils. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 18-23°C, and the seedlings can grow at temperatures above 10°C.

It likes a warm environment with plenty of sunlight. It is not tolerant of frost and is afraid of waterlogging. Its suitable growing temperature is 13-18°C, and the winter temperature is 4-10°C; if it is below 4°C, plant growth stops. In summer it can tolerate high temperatures above 35°C.

3. Flowers

The flowering period of morning glory is in autumn; Ipomoea purpurea has smaller flowers, while Ipomoea nil has slightly larger flowers; the flower color is solid. The flowering period of petunia lasts for several months (May-July), and the corolla is trumpet-shaped; the flower forms include single, double, ruffled petal edges, or irregular serrations; the flower colors include red, white, pink, purple, and various colors with spots, veining, and stripes.

4. Family and genus

Morning glory belongs to the Convolvulaceae, while petunia belongs to the Solanaceae.

5. Value

Morning glory is mostly used for greening and beautifying courtyard walls and highway slope protection; petunia has relatively wide uses and can be used for potted plants, hanging baskets, flower platforms, and flower bed beautification, and can also be planted on a large scale.

2. How do you care for morning glory?

1. The germination temperature of morning glory seeds is 20-30°C. Sow at the end of April and the beginning of May (in the south it can be earlier), sowing in rows by variety in a fine sandy soil seedbed. When the humidity is moderate, they germinate in about 10 days. After about another 10 days, the cotyledons fully open.

2. Watering should be frequent, especially in summer watering should be sufficient, but the pot must not accumulate water. Morning glory likes sunlight, so it should be placed in a sunny spot in the courtyard or on a south-facing balcony or windowsill.

3. After the true leaves of morning glory grow three or four leaves, the center begins to produce vines, and at this time they should be removed. After the first pinching, branches and vines grow again from the leaf axils. After the branches and vines produce three or four leaves, pinch again, and at the same time combine with shaping. After each pinching, fertilizer should be applied.