Wild Morning Glory
Wild morning glory (Calystegia sepium) is a wildflower native to Wisconsin. It grows up to 10 feet tall with smooth, twining vine and funnel-shaped flowers. Its flowers can be white or pink with white stripes. The flowers are two to three inches long with five petals, fused together. The leaves are two inches long and arrow-shaped or triangular, alternating along a vine stem. It likes moist soil along streams, in thickets, along roadsides, and in sunny fields.
Often mistaken for its more aggressive relative, field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), wild morning glory plays a more subtle ecological role in Wisconsin’s moist, disturbed habitats. Its sprawling vines can help stabilize soil near riparian zones, especially along streambanks where erosion is a concern. The large, showy flowers attract a range of pollinators, including long-tongued bees and moths, adding to the mid- to late-summer floral diversity in open and semi-shaded environments.
Despite its delicate appearance, Calystegia sepium is tenacious—its underground rhizomes allow it to spread vigorously, forming dense mats that can outcompete less robust herbaceous plants. This resilience makes it both a stabilizer of disturbed ground and, occasionally, a nuisance in managed landscapes.