Help to ID this

[Chuck]

This plant is a wildflower growing in South Central Texas. It is a perennial and lives for years. When I first moved here about 20 years ago I dug one up to transplant. It grows from what looks like a rhizome or tuber about the size of a fat cigar. This is not some kind of transplanted flower as I am the only person to have ever lived even close to here. It looks amazingly like a morning glory. It blooms in the morning and by noon has closed up only to open the next day. The flowers are all the same size, 3" x 3" , larger than any morning glorys I have seen. It is a climbing vine and also invasive as it travels underground to reappear years later quite some distance away The leaves are shown in some of the pics. They are a 5 lobed leaf. These flowers are growing in oak brush.[/ATTACH]

 

[Pat]

It looks like a morning glory to me.

 

[Chuck]

It looks like a morning glory to me.

That's what I thought too but the growth habits are different. For instance, a regular morning glory has a bloom that lasts one day, these lasts 3-5 days. It also has no aroma. They are also LONG LIVED perennials. And so far it hasn't come back from seed but from underground runners. I know this because it is trying to invade my vegetable garden. I have pulled and dug it up to the cigar looking rhizome thing that I transplanted about 18 years ago and about 75 feet away. I wonder if may be some forerunner of the modern hybrids

 

[gata montes]

Chuck - I too am more than convinced that your plant is a morning glory - mainly because we have an extremely invasive perennial morning glories where I live too and although I'm not altogether sure what the common name of yours is - I do think that yours is quite possibly Ipomoea Lindheimeri.

 

[Chuck]

Chuck - I too am more than convinced that your plant is a morning glory - mainly because we have an extremely invasive perennial morning glories where I live too and although I'm not altogether sure what the common name of yours is - I do think that yours is quite possibly Ipomoea Lindheimeri.

That's exactly what it is. I hope it is not as hard to kill as Passion Flower Vine

 

[gata montes]

That's exactly what it is. I hope it is not as hard to kill as Passion Flower Vine

Its extremely hard to get rid of - as every time you think you've succeeded and got rid of it - it returns again - but sturdier and stronger than before and often in a different place too and although I've never tried to kill a Passion Flower Vine and therefore have no comparison - I would say that its probably slightly easier than trying to kill a Podranea Ricasoliana - which is virtually impossible.

 

[Chuck]

Its extremely hard to get rid of - as every time you think you've succeeded and got rid of it - it returns again - but sturdier and stronger than before and often in a different place too and although I've never tried to kill a Passion Flower Vine and therefore have no comparison - I would say that its probably slightly easier than trying to kill a Podranea Ricasoliana - which is virtually impossible.

I know what I can do. I will dig the cigar thing up and send it to you. You can plant it under one of your fruit trees and enjoy the beautiful blooms every morning. You can marvel at how it is slowly shutting off the sunshine to the tree , all the while relaxing on your shaded adult beverage drinking bench. Please send address. FREE SHIPPING.

Seriously, I thought I would never get rid of the Passion Vine. For years I cut it down below soil level, I burned it, poured diesel fuel on it and it would just pop up somewhere else. Finally I had to resort to chemicals and even that took 2 years. I think this time I will just chemicalize it off the git go. I am getting too old to mess with backbreaking labor. And thanks for identifying this weed

 

[gata montes]

I know what I can do. I will dig the cigar thing up and send it to you. You can plant it under one of your fruit trees and enjoy the beautiful blooms every morning. You can marvel at how it is slowly shutting off the sunshine to the tree , all the while relaxing on your shaded adult beverage drinking bench. Please send address. FREE SHIPPING.

Seriously, I thought I would never get rid of the Passion Vine. For years I cut it down below soil level, I burned it, poured diesel fuel on it and it would just pop up somewhere else. Finally I had to resort to chemicals and even that took 2 years. I think this time I will just chemicalize it off the git go. I am getting too old to mess with backbreaking labor. And thanks for identifying this weed

You're welcome and have to say that much as I appreciate your kind offer - unfortunately - as I already have plenty of morning glories trying to adorn one of my fruit tree areas - as well as a Podranea Ricasoliana in another which I'm continually doing battle with - as it grows at the horrendous rate of between 50 and 60 feet plus a year and is capable of destroying buildings and roads in next to no time - if you don't keep it at bay - I will have to decline your generous offer even though you were offering free shipping

As for getting rid of your Ipomoea - I think that you might have to resort to first removing as much root as possible and then spray whats left with a strong cocktail of commercial strength weed killer - otherwise you may well find that it will keep coming back to haunt you

 

[Chuck]

I love to share wonderful things but if you already have an abundance I understand, but am still disappointed.
Trying to dig up the thing is non-starter as this a job for a platoon of young men. I hate to use chemicals but that is and will be the only viable alternative. The best product for this type of problem available to consumers in the US is a product called Green Light Vine and Stump Remover. I doubt you have this stuff where you live but the active ingredient is 8.8% Triclopry and this might be available there to use on your podranea. If you have any better stuff please let me know.

 

[gata montes]

I love to share wonderful things but if you already have an abundance I understand, but am still disappointed.
Trying to dig up the thing is non-starter as this a job for a platoon of young men. I hate to use chemicals but that is and will be the only viable alternative. The best product for this type of problem available to consumers in the US is a product called Green Light Vine and Stump Remover. I doubt you have this stuff where you live but the active ingredient is 8.8% Triclopry and this might be available there to use on your podranea. If you have any better stuff please let me know.

Oh how I can so equate with how disappointed you must feel - especially as its something I experience every time I so willingly offer generous quantities of my Ipomoeas and Podraneas to people - as well as my abundant fig tree shoots - as even though they are always offered free of charge nobody seems to want take advantage of my generosity

I would definitely agree with you regarding the digging up bit being a monster task - which is why in cases like this - even though I don't like to use chemicals of any kind - when dealing with a very destructive invasive species there is unfortunately - really no other option but to use them.

However - although yes we too have a product very similar to the one your mention - I have to say that its not entirely effective at irradiating my Podranea - which is why I have to use an industrial strength chemical cocktail - however as to what the exact components of the chemical cocktail are - is a bit of a grey area for me - mainly because I don't apply the chemicals myself - due to the fact - that as I live in an agricultural area surrounded by lakes and water courses - you have to have a permit in order to handle, use and apply commercial strength pesticides and weed killers - so although I know that the guy who comes to do mine - uses various strengths and combinations of Glyphosate, Trilopyr + Picloram and Metsulturon-meythyl depending on which invasive plant he is dealing with - I myself am not able to give you anything too helpful or precise as to what would be the best treatment for your Ipomoea - but that said - I would be very happy to ask next time I see him - if you would like me to

 

[Chuck]

Oh how I can so equate with how disappointed you must feel - especially as its something I experience every time I so willingly offer generous quantities of my Ipomoeas and Podraneas to people - as well as my abundant fig tree shoots - as even though they are always offered free of charge nobody seems to want take advantage of my generosity

I would definitely agree with you regarding the digging up bit being a monster task - which is why in cases like this - even though I don't like to use chemicals of any kind - when dealing with a very destructive invasive species there is unfortunately - really no other option but to use them.

However - although yes we too have a product very similar to the one your mention - I have to say that its not entirely effective at irradiating my Podranea - which is why I have to use an industrial strength chemical cocktail - however as to what the exact components of the chemical cocktail are - is a bit of a grey area for me - mainly because I don't apply the chemicals myself - due to the fact - that as I live in an agricultural area surrounded by lakes and water courses - you have to have a permit in order to handle, use and apply commercial strength pesticides and weed killers - so although I know that the guy who comes to do mine - uses various strengths and combinations of Glyphosate, Trilopyr + Picloram and Metsulturon-meythyl depending on which invasive plant he is dealing with - I myself am not able to give you anything too helpful or precise as to what would be the best treatment for your Ipomoea - but that said - I would be very happy to ask next time I see him - if you would like me to

I know all about commercial herbicides. I am going to go with the least terrible consumer available poison which is still effective and that is Trilopyr. Glyphosate (Roundup) is what I used on the Passion Vine but it took 2 years to finally finish it off. Hay farmers here use Picloram against weeds and it didn't do squat against the Passion Vine. I am not about to use Metsulturon + 2,4D. That stuff stays in the gound for years. I have found that most of the nasty herbicides were invented for commercial agricultural purposes usually against broadweaf weeds or grasses not woody fiberous plants like trees and vines. So, I am going to try Trilopyr. If that doesn't work I will go to plan B of which I don't have a plan B. So if you would, ask your poison guy what he would use. Here in Texas we don't have the restrictions on herbicides like you do so I can obtain just about anything short of a nuclear bomb.

 

[Trellum]

It looked like a very pale variety of morning glory to me since the start Best of luck getting rid of it, if that's what you want, we have tried getting rid of those, but they never fail to show up every summer.

 

[gata montes]

I know all about commercial herbicides. I am going to go with the least terrible consumer available poison which is still effective and that is Trilopyr. Glyphosate (Roundup) is what I used on the Passion Vine but it took 2 years to finally finish it off. Hay farmers here use Picloram against weeds and it didn't do squat against the Passion Vine. I am not about to use Metsulturon + 2,4D. That stuff stays in the gound for years. I have found that most of the nasty herbicides were invented for commercial agricultural purposes usually against broadweaf weeds or grasses not woody fiberous plants like trees and vines. So, I am going to try Trilopyr. If that doesn't work I will go to plan B of which I don't have a plan B. So if you would, ask your poison guy what he would use. Here in Texas we don't have the restrictions on herbicides like you do so I can obtain just about anything short of a nuclear bomb.

In that case I will be very happy to do so - which as he specializes in eradicating invasive plant species and seems to know exactly which chemical cocktail to use - in order to eradicate just about anything without doing too much damage to the environment - regardless of whether it is a broad-leaf weed, tuber, grass or a woody plant like a tree or vine - I'm more than sure that he will be able to come up with a less explosive solution - than that of having to resort to using a nuclear bomb - although I have to admit that one of my fig trees as well as the podranea - have at times come very close to that.

 

[Chuck]

In that case I will be very happy to do so - which as he specializes in eradicating invasive plant species and seems to know exactly which chemical cocktail to use - in order to eradicate just about anything without doing too much damage to the environment - regardless of whether it is a broad-leaf weed, tuber, grass or a woody plant like a tree or vine - I'm more than sure that he will be able to come up with a less explosive solution - than that of having to resort to using a nuclear bomb - although I have to admit that one of my fig trees as well as the podranea - have at times come very close to that.

Isn't it a little unusual for figs to come up from the roots. I used to have figs and they never did. In fact I had to air layer to propagate them

 

[gata montes]

Isn't it a little unusual for figs to come up from the roots. I used to have figs and they never did. In fact I had to air layer to propagate them

No not here - Figs are prolific in every sense of the word where I live - in fact so prolific that if left undisturbed I would - within the space of year - be living in a dense forest of 8 - 10 feet tall fig trees and as I currently have six and a half very large ones - the half being one that is so stubborn that even after nearly 4 years of trying to get rid of it - still comes back to haunt me - I really don't want any more.