Convolvulaceae, commonly called the bindweeds or morning glories, is a family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species. These species are primarily herbaceous vines, but also include trees, shrubs and herbs. The tubers of several species are edible, the best known of which is the sweet potato.
Ergot or ergot fungi refers to a group of fungi of the genus Claviceps.
Morning glory is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics are in flux. Morning glory species belong to many genera, some of which are:
Ergine, also known as d-lysergic acid amide (LSA) and d-lysergamide, is an ergoline alkaloid that occurs in various species of vines of the Convolvulaceae and some species of fungi. The psychedelic properties in the seeds of ololiuhqui, Hawaiian baby woodrose and morning glories have been linked to ergine and/or isoergine, its epimer, as it is an alkaloid present in the seeds.
Self-pollination is a form of pollination in which pollen from the same plant arrives at the stigma of a flower or at the ovule. There are two types of self-pollination: in autogamy, pollen is transferred to the stigma of the same flower; in geitonogamy, pollen is transferred from the anther of one flower to the stigma of another flower on the same flowering plant, or from microsporangium to ovule within a single (monoecious) gymnosperm. Some plants have mechanisms that ensure autogamy, such as flowers that do not open (cleistogamy), or stamens that move to come into contact with the stigma. The term selfing that is often used as a synonym, is not limited to self-pollination, but also applies to other type of self-fertilization.
Ergoline is a chemical compound whose structural skeleton is contained in a variety of alkaloids, referred to as ergoline derivatives or ergoline alkaloids. Ergoline alkaloids, one being ergine, were initially characterized in ergot. Some of these are implicated in the condition ergotism, which can take a convulsive form or a gangrenous form. Even so, many ergoline alkaloids have been found to be clinically useful. Annual world production of ergot alkaloids has been estimated at 5,000–8,000 kg of all ergopeptines and 10,000–15,000 kg of lysergic acid, used primarily in the manufacture of semi-synthetic derivatives.
Ipomoea is the largest genus in the plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 600 species. It is a large and diverse group, with common names including morning glory, water convolvulus or water spinach, sweet potato, bindweed, moonflower, etc. The genus occurs throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and comprises annual and perennial herbaceous plants, lianas, shrubs, and small trees; most of the species are twining climbing plants.
Ipomoea purpurea, the common morning-glory, tall morning-glory, or purple morning glory, is a species in the genus Ipomoea, native to Mexico and Central America.
D-Lysergic acid α-hydroxyethylamide, also known as D-lysergic acid methyl carbinolamide, is a is a Lysergamide and alkaloid of the Ergoline family, it is present in higher concentrations in the parasitic fungi species "Claviceps", mainly the Claviceps Paspali, also in Claviceps Purpurea. This fungi grows in various species in the Convolvulaceae family like the Ipomoea violacea, the Rivea corymbosa (Ololiuhqui), and the Argyreia nervosa. Heavenly Blue Morning Glory and Hawaiian Baby Woodrose especially contain high amounts of LSH, with content varying between species and by how fresh the seeds are. LSH is a psychoactive Ergoline and has effects similar to LSD due to similarity in the structure and is the main psychoactive compound found in Claviceps Paspali and in (fresh) Heavenly Blue Morning Glory Seeds. LSH is unstable and breaks down into LSA quickly, so old seeds often only contains LSA and iso-LSA. When the seeds are fresh, they contain significantly higher amounts of LSH.
A sclerotium, is a compact mass of hardened fungal mycelium containing food reserves. One role of sclerotia is to survive environmental extremes. In some higher fungi such as ergot, sclerotia become detached and remain dormant until favorable growth conditions return. Sclerotia initially were mistaken for individual organisms and described as separate species until Louis René Tulasne proved in 1853 that sclerotia are only a stage in the life cycle of some fungi. Further investigation showed that this stage appears in many fungi belonging to many diverse groups. Sclerotia are important in the understanding of the life cycle and reproduction of fungi, as a food source, as medicine, and in agricultural blight management.
A flower, also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants. Flowers consist of a combination of vegetative organs – sepals that enclose and protect the developing flower, petals that attract pollinators, and reproductive organs that produce gametophytes, which in flowering plants produce gametes. The male gametophytes, which produce sperm, are enclosed within pollen grains produced in the anthers. The female gametophytes are contained within the ovules produced in the carpels.
Claviceps purpurea is an ergot fungus that grows on the ears of rye and related cereal and forage plants. Consumption of grains or seeds contaminated with the survival structure of this fungus, the ergot sclerotium, can cause ergotism in humans and other mammals. C. purpurea most commonly affects outcrossing species such as rye, as well as triticale, wheat and barley. It affects oats only rarely.
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. It bears heart-shaped or three-lobed leaves and purple or blue funnel-shaped flowers 6–8 cm (2–3 in) in diameter, from spring to autumn. The flowers produced by the plant are hermaphroditic. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Ipomoea nil is a species of Ipomoea morning glory known by several common names, including picotee morning glory, ivy morning glory, ivy-leaf morning glory, and Japanese morning glory. It is native to the tropical Americas, and has been introduced widely across the world.
Ergocryptine is an ergopeptine and one of the ergoline alkaloids. It is isolated from ergot or fermentation broth and it serves as starting material for the production of bromocriptine. Two isomers of ergocryptine exist, α-ergocryptine and β-ergocryptine. The beta differs from the alpha form only in the position of a single methyl group, which is a consequence of the biosynthesis in which the proteinogenic amino acid leucine is replaced by isoleucine. β-Ergocryptine was first identified in 1967 by Albert Hofmann. Ergot from different sources have different ratios of the two isomers.
Ipomoea coccinea is a flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae known by several common names including red morning glory, redstar and (ambiguously) Mexican morning glory.
Ipomoea lacunosa, the whitestar, white morning-glory or pitted morning-glory, is a species that belongs to the genus Ipomoea. In this genus most members are commonly referred to as "morning glories". The name for the genus, Ipomoea, has root in the Greek words ips and homoios, which translates to worm-like. This is a reference to the plant's vine-like growth. Lacunosa comes from a Latin word meaning air spaces, correlating with the venation of the leaves. Ipomoea lacunosa is native to the United States and grows annually. The flowers of this species are usually white and smaller than most other morning glories.
The monocots are one of the two major groups of flowering plants, the other being the dicots. In order to reproduce they utilize various strategies such as employing forms of asexual reproduction, restricting which individuals they are sexually compatible with, or influencing how they are pollinated. Nearly all reproductive strategies that evolved in the dicots have independently evolved in monocots as well. Despite these similarities and their close relatedness, monocots and dicots have distinct traits in their reproductive biologies.
Reproductive assurance occurs as plants have mechanisms to assure full seed set through selfing when outcross pollen is limiting. It is assumed that self-pollination is beneficial, in spite of potential fitness costs, when there is insufficient pollinator services or outcross pollen from other individuals to accomplish full seed set.. This phenomenon has been observed since the 19th century, when Darwin observed that self-pollination was common in some plants. Constant pollen limitation may cause the evolution of automatic selfing, also known as autogamy. This occurs in plants such as weeds, and is a form of reproductive assurance. As plants pursue reproductive assurance through self-fertilization, there is an increase in homozygosity, and inbreeding depression, due to genetic load, which results in reduced fitness of selfed offspring. Solely outcrossing plants may not be successful colonizers of new regions due to lack of other plants to outcross with, so colonizing species are expected to have mechanisms of reproductive assurance - an idea first proposed by Herbert G. Baker and referred to as Baker's "law" or "rule". Baker's law predicts that reproductive assurance affects establishment of plants in many contexts, including spread by weedy plants and following long-distance dispersal, such as occurs during island colonization. As plants evolve towards increase self-fertilization, energy is redirected to seed production rather than characteristics that increased outcrossing, such as floral attractants, which is a condition known as the selfing syndrome.
Ipomoea barbatisepala, commonly known as canyon morning glory, is a species of morning glory. It is native to the Southwestern United States, where it has been found in New Mexico and Arizona; in these regions, its native range overlaps with the non-native range of the closely related Ipomoea hederacea. It is also found in the west of Mexico.
