Oceanblue morning glory

Description:

Ipomoea indica is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, known by several common names, including blue morning glory, oceanblue morning glory, koali awa, and blue dawn flower. A long-lived or perennial twining climber growing up to 15 m high, but sometimes scrambling over low vegetation or creeping along the ground. The stems usually develop a twining habit although they occasionally spread across the ground. These stems are fairly densely covered in spreading or backwards-curved hairs when young and they occasionally also exude a white milky sap when broken. The alternately arranged leaves (5-18 cm long and 3.5-16 cm wide) are borne on stalks or petioles 2-18 cm long. They range from heart-shaped to obviously three-lobed and have pointed tips or acute apices. Both leaf surfaces are softly hairy, the undersides more so. The funnel-shaped flowers are bright blue or bluish-purple in colour with a paler pink or whitish-pink central tube. These large flowers (5-10 cm long and 7-10 cm across) are borne in clusters of two to twelve in the leaf forks. They have five long and narrow sepals (14-22 mm long). Flowering can occur throughout the year. The fruit are globular papery capsules (about 10 mm across) containing four to six dark brown or black coloured seeds. The Latin specific epithet indica means from India, or the East Indies or China. It has become a noxious weed and invasive species in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, California and Portugal.

Habitat:

This species inhabits wetter tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. It is particularly common in suburban gullies, gardens, along roadsides, in riparian zones and in disturbed rainforest. Ipomoea indica invades woodland, degraded land, arable land, roadsides, riverbanks, coastal dunes.

Notes:

Spotted in Arakwal National Park, Australia.