Although I don't normally think of morning glory as a bulb plant (more
like a sweet potato vine) the genus Ipomoea is in our wiki so I guess it's
considered within our portfolio. When the next SX opens, I plan to donate
seeds of I purga, aka I. jalapa, aka High John the Conqueror. Blues
aficionados and Obeah practitioners will, of course, recognize that a piece
of John the Conqueror root is an essential component in any well-made mojo
bag. For everyone else, it's just a pretty lavender morning glory with an
interesting backstory.
Here in Z7 I grow it as an annual so the root never gets much bigger than
a pencil, but along the gulf I guess it is a perennial and the root will
look like a horseradish. I have never had any luck digging the plant in
fall and wintering it in the greenhouse, and I haven't tried starting one
and never planting it out because the last thing I need in my greenhouse is
a vine.
I have not found it to be invasive here; I harvest a large bagful of seeds
but obviously I don't get them all, and have rarely seen even a single
seedling volunteering in the spring. Any that come up in the lawn are gone
after the first mowing. But folks in really warm climates might want to
check first before letting it run free.
The seeds are large with a thick coat. Chip the coat with a nail clipper
and soak overnight in water. All the seed coats will crackle and the seeds
will expand. Just plant in promix and put outside when it's warm enough
and the seedlings are 6-8" high, and plant by a fence. This one tends to
bloom in the evening rather than in the morning.
At the risk of disappointing the aging hippies in our group, I. purga is
one morning glory that DOES NOT contain lysergic acid in its seeds as far
as I know. But I don't recommend eating these or any other seeds for that
matter.
Anyway, I wanted to provide this info now and get ahead of the crush of SX
orders, so folks can look into it and decide if this is something of
interest.
Bob
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