Ipomoea tricolor / Morning Glory / Convolvulaceae (Bindweed family)
Information
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Other Names
Ipomea Violacea, Ipomea tricolor, Flying saucers, Pearly gates, Ipomea, Morning Glory.
Historical
Ipomea violacea was called "Badungas" or "Badoh Negro" in the Zapotec zone of Mexico. They used its seeds as a substitute for Ololiuhqui (MacDougall 1960). It has been suggested that I. violacea represented the Aztec drug "Tlitliltzin" (sacred black bones; Wasson 1963), and this species is known to the Mayans as "Yaxce’lil" (Garza 1990). Ipomea v. is still used today as a shamanic inebriant in Mexico, for example by the Mixe Indians of Oaxaca. It is commonly known in Mexico as "Quiebraplato" (plate breaker), which likely derives from the Mixe name "Pu’ucte.sh" "broken plate flower". The Zapotec also call I. violacea seed "La’aja Shnash" or "Seed of the Virgin", perhaps the origin of the contemporary Mexican term "Semillas de la Virgen" for Morning Glory seeds. Although it is widely assumed that the name "Semillas de la Virgen" refers to the Catholic virgin, it probably derives from the Zapotec term, which evidently refers to the virgin appointed to grind the seeds.
Plant Description
Native to the mountains of Southern Mexico, Guatemala, West Indies and Tropical South America, Morning Glory now grows around the world, favoring tropical warm temperate climates. It is a tender perennial vine with large, heart shaped, bright green leaves and showy, trumpet shaped flowers ranging from light blue to dark purple. These can be up to 6" in diameter. They open in the morning and last for one day. The ovoid fruit is about 1/2 inch in length and bears elongate, angular black seeds.
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References
Erowid Herb Vault
Articles
Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites,
is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be
interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.
Ergot
Lysergic acid
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