morning glory

アサガオ 朝顔 牵牛花

A common name for more than 1000 species of flowering plants in the Convolvulaceae family. The largest and most common genus is Ipomoea. Most of the species are climbing plants. The most common decorative species are Ipomoea indica, I. nil, I. purpurea, and I. tricolor. The sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, is also a species of this genus.

The plant bears funnel-shaped flowers that close late in the day. They are known for their five symmetrical, finely overlapping petals and bright colors in shades of pink, red, blue, and purple; the center is often white. The flowers often have a distinctive star shape in the center, which is often emphasized by artists. Depending on the species, the leaves can be heart-shaped or ivy-shaped (three-lobed). Morning glory vines are often trained to climb trellises but will eagerly climb fences as well.

As morning glories are easy to grow, Japanese elementary schools often have their students grow them as part of their plant cultivation experience. It is typical summer homework for Japanese students to bring home the morning glories (that they have grown to a certain extent at school) and observe and record their growth (note that summer vacation is in the middle of the school year in Japan).

Its common Japanese name, アサガオ (朝顔 asa-gao), literally translates to "morning face". There is a night-blooming species, Ipomoea alba, commonly called moonflower. Its common Japanese name is ヨルガオ (夜顔 yoru-gao), which literally translates to "night face".

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