• Pest Type: Weed
• Crops Affected: Wheat, Cotton, Potatoes, Soybeans, Corn
• Scientific Name: Ipomoea lacunosa
• Pest Order: Convolvulaceae

Description
Pitted morningglory is a summer annual weed with long climbing or trailing viny stems, leaves are heart-shaped, leaf tips are tapered and pointed at the tip, and foliage is hairless or nearly so. Flowers are funnel-shaped and attractive.

Propagation
Reproduction is by seed. Seeds germinate in late spring or early summer.

Seedling
Cotyledons are similar to other morningglory species but more deeply notched at the tip; the angle of the notch is greater, and the lobes are more slender and pointed. First and subsequent leaves are heart-shaped, taper to a more pointed tip than those of other species, and lack hairs, or nearly so.

Immature Plant
Leaves are heart-shaped and taper to a more pointed tip than those of other morningglory species. Pitted morningglory leaves are hairless, or nearly so.

Mature Plant
Very similar to tall morningglory, but leaves are generally smaller, leaf tips are tapered to a more slender and pointed tip, and foliage is hairless or nearly hairless.

Underground Parts
Coarsely branched root system.

Flowers/Fruits
Flowers are present from July to September and are produced on stalks shorter than or equaling the petioles (1-3 flowers at the leaf axil). Flowers of pitted morningglory are white and are smaller (1.5-2 cm long) than those of other morningglories. Seeds are smooth but otherwise similar to other morningglory seeds; i.e., dark brown to black and wedge-shaped with 1 rounded and 2 flattened sides.

Post-senescence
Plants die with the first frost. Vines and fruit will persist into the winter in a dried state.

Habitat
This is a weed of agronomic, horticultural, and nursery crops, as well as landscapes, fence rows, and noncrop areas. They are adapted to a wide range of conditions. Morningglories are very competitive and generally difficult to control in crops.

Distribution
Pitted morningglory is common to the southern and south central United States.

Similar Species
Tall morningglory, ivyleaf morningglory and bigroot morningglory are all very similar species. Tall morningglory leaves are generally larger and are hairy, but the hairs lie flat. Ivyleaf morningglory has ivy-shaped leaves (3 main lobes), and leaves, petioles, and stems all have erect hairs. Bigroot morningglory is a tuber-producing perennial with unlobed or slightly 3-lobed leaves, and its large funnel-shaped white flowers (5-8 cm long) have red centers.