Friday, September 5, 2008

What is that Plant?

When I first saw the leaves of this plant growing out of the compost, I wondered "What is that plant? It almost looks like a sweet potato vine." Every time I passed by I wondered, but identifying a plant with just the leaves is tough prospect at best. Finally the flower appeared and of course it looks like a morning glory. I dug out my wildflower book and read through the morning glory entries. I was comforted to see that sweet potatoes are in the same family. I was not completely on the wrong track. It turns out to be ivy-leaved morning glory. There was no photo for the entry in my book so I went to Google Images to confirm my identification. Got it!

Having never seen this plant here before, I can't help wondering how it got to my compost. Perhaps a bird dropped it. Who knows? This is a plant listed in the wildflower book with the words" troublesome weed" in the description. It's cute, but it apparently has a dark side. Perhaps the compost is the right place for it.

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