Morning glory

This is a couple two summers ago, the blue one is learii, which I grow as a half hardy perrenial, the reddish purple one self seeds and grows like a weed.

 

Pete - I have had a little delve into Ipomoea. And as usual whenever you do that you find not everything ties up.

There are quite a lot of different Ipomoea species including I batatas - commonly known as Sweet Potato or Yam. The Ipomea that we grow are not related to the common bindweed which is Convolvus arvensis, even though they look similar. The most commonly grown species seem to be :-

I indica - which appears to be the new name for I learii according to some sources. But on another forum a knowledgeable person has said that the true I learii is sterile. I indica is described as a vigorous, short lived, half-hardy perennial that can grow up to 20 ft. In a glass house it can flower for 10 months of the year. Like the others it comes in a range of colours.

I purpurea. A half hardy annual, which grows up to 10 ft. The RHS and other sources quote 'Grandpa Otts' and 'Kniola Black Knight' as cultivars. However other sources quote them as cultivars of I tricolor.

I tricolor. A fast growing (up to 12 ft) half hardy annual, or short lived perennial. Also quoted as the most commonly grown of the species. With a number of cultivars including 'Heavenly Blue'.

They all appear to be very similar in appearance, except for the colour which is determined by the cultivar. Both I purpurea and I tricolor contain a chemical LSA, which is reported to be almost identical to LSD in effect. All three of them are reported to be noxious weeds in a number of places such as America and Australia. I purpurea is said to be the hardiest, but several sources have said that in a cold summer they can all totally fail. A minimum temperature of 7C is quoted for all.

I suspect that some of the cultivars could have been created by crossing the species, and then maybe crossing the results again with a parent or another cross to the point that it is not clear which species some of the cultivars should be attributed to. This is not unusual in cultivars of other plants.

 

Thanks Peter, I had an inkling that it was a pretty confusing plant to tie down, but you seem to have done a fair job.
If its any help, my learii has never set any seed.

 

Thats interesting Pete. Did you get it as a plant or as seed?

Mind you, it may only be sterile in this country. I know of a number of Salvias, which come from warmer climes, that won't set seed in this country, but will in hotter places. As most of the seed we buy is grown in other countries, you could easily have acquired it as seed.

I always find the question of annual or perennial difficult. On many American sites they confuse perennials that are not hardy with annuals, and openly talk about them being annual in one state and perennnial in another! And it happens in this country too. Then there are perennials that do come back the next year but are rubbish or very slow to recover, so it is better to grow them fresh from seed each year. And there are the iffy ones. The RHS decscribed I tricolor as 'a half hardy annual or short lived perennial' implying that it was not reliably perennial.

I am certain that I learii is a name that is no longer used (more than one source has said that) but I am still not sure if it is the same as I indica.

 

I bought it as a plant Peter in Cornwall a few years ago, I see what your saying about not setting seed in this country.

But I would have thought that as other ipomoeas are pollenated here, probably by bees, then this one would as well.
Plants from warmer climes that dont set seed here, usually, (I think), lack a pollenator, as to wether the seed ripens or not, that is another matter.

As to the annual/perrenial thing, yes they do confuse us dont they, if its a half hardy perrenial then that is how it should be described, not an annual.
Then it could easily be added wether the plant is worth overwintering.

Just look a runner beans, how many people bother growing the same roots a second or third year.

Learii is what it says on the label, I bought it about ten yrs ago.

 

I grow them every year, as annuals. I try different varieties each year and the most reliable, even last year, which was a rubbish year for them, was Grandpa Ottis. They self-seed like crazy which I'm quite happy with and my daughter's friends always come and take the last seeds off the plants. None of them have got gardens so I've got a decent idea of why they like them!! Bit like drying Fly-Agaric toadstools in the Autumn!! :D

 

I have grown Grandpa Otts for three years. Except for the first year which was very hot, its not been good, and I don't think I have ever found a seedling. From all that I have heard and read I am sure they are very temperature sensitive. Can be good in the south but not in the north.