Ipomoea carnea, the pink morning glory, is a species of morning glory. This flowering plant has heart-shaped leaves that are a rich green and 6â€"9 inches long. It can be easily grown from seeds which are toxic and it can be hazardous to cattle; the toxicity is related to the bioaccumulation of selenium species in leaves but mostly in seeds
The stem of I. carnea can be used for making paper. The plant is also of medicinal value. It contains a component identical to marsilin, a sedative and anticonvulsant. A glycosidic saponin has also been purified from I. carnea with anticarcinogenic and oxytoxic properties.
Another common name is "bush morning glory", but particularly in temperate North America, that usually refers to I. leptophylla.
In Brazil, I. carnea is known as canudo-de-pita, literally "pipe-cane", as its hollow stems were used to make tubes for tobacco pipes. It thus became the namesake of Canudos, a religious community in the sertão of Bahia, over which the War of Canudos was fought 1893â€"1897.
References
Media related to Ipomoea carnea at Wikimedia Commons
