Ipomoea indica and Ipomoea cairica

Morning Glory and Coastal Morning Glory

As tempting as it is with its beautiful purple trumpet flowers, Ipomoea indica (Morning Glory) is definitely a climber to avoid planting.

For a start it is a rampant plant that tends to smother everything it climbs over. It is even well known for covering and killing 15 metre tall trees. Its smothering habit over trees and the ground means it can dramatically alter entire habitats.

There is another species of Ipomoea to watch out for too, this is commonly known as Coastal Morning Glory (I. cairica) , (picture at left courtesy of Eurobodalla Shire Council, NSW) which is a weed of dune systems, coastal bluffs, coastal waterways and margins of rainforests in New South Wales.

Morning Glory is permitted entry into Australia, but banned in New Zealand. It is weed in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Austalia. Legislation does apply in New South Wales.

While the common Morning Glory (I. indica) is not known to set seed in Australia, Coastal Morning Glory does.

Both species are spread by stolons (stems that grow above ground and can produce both roots and foliage), so even small parts of plants in dumped garden waste can trigger a major infestation. And because the plants prefer moist environments, stolons are often spread after flood events.

Both species can live for up to 25 years.

The flowers are produced continuously during the warmer months and both species prefer a sunny position in moist environments. Both will tolerate seasonal dry conditions once well established.

Control

Slashed stems can resprout, and even stems commonly killed by winter frost will resprout. Their remarkable growth means they can easily recover 4 - 6 metres in one season.

Small infestations can be removed by hand, but all stems in contact with the ground must be removed and the roots dug out completely.

Vines can be severed at the base and left to dry out.

Larger vines can be destroyed with herbicide, using the stem-scrape or cut-paint method. Both of these methods are as they suggest: scrape the stem then apply herbicide to the scraped surface (remembering not to scrape too deep as the vessels that transport water are just underneath the surface); or cut the stem and apply herbicide to the remaining cut stem.

References:

Blood, K., 2001, Environmental Weeds - a field guide for SE Australia, CRC Weed Management Systems, published by CH Jerram Science Publishers.
Muyt, A., 2001, Bush Invaders of South-East Australia, published by RG and FJ Richardson.

Click here to return to the invasive plants list.

The information contained on this page is Copyright © SGA and intended for personal use only.
You may not use the information for any other purpose without the express written permission of SGA.