Mile-a-minute vine
Ipomoea cairica
Its beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers open only with the morning sun and wither by the afternoon, earning it the family name of morning glory.
- Scientific name
- Ipomoea cairica
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Solanales › Convolvulaceae › Ipomoea
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Disturbed areas, roadsides, coastal dunes, forest edges, and waste ground
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis, drawing water and minerals from soil)
- Range
- Tropical Africa, Asia, Australia, Pacific Islands, Southern North America
- Size
- Climbing stems up to 5 meters (16 feet) in length
- Lifespan
- Perennial (multi-year lifespan through underground tubers)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat management, targeted herbicides, and physical eradication efforts
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch, though sensitive individuals should wear gloves to avoid mild sap irritation. Do not transport or discard this plant in the wild, as even tiny stem fragments can take root and smother local ecosystems.
Ipomoea cairica is a species of morning glory which has many common names, including mile-a-minute vine, Messina creeper, Cairo morning glory, coast morning glory and railroad creeper . This vining perennial has palmate leaves and large, showy white to lavender flowers. Each fruit matures at about 1 cm across and contains hairy seeds.
Photo: 葉子, CC0, via iNaturalist
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