Japanese morning glory

5.7

A climbing plant with bright, often frilly, trumpet-shaped flowers

noun
/ˈdʒæpəˌniːz ˈmɔrnɪŋ ˈɡlɔri/

: gloria de la mañana japonesa

The Japanese morning glory covered the garden fence with vibrant blue and purple blossoms.

Examples

We planted several Japanese morning glories along the trellis to brighten the patio.
Many gardeners appreciate the Japanese morning glory for its rapid growth and spectacular flowers.
The Japanese morning glory blooms beautifully in the summer.
Have you seen the Japanese morning glory in her garden?
Many gardeners appreciate the Japanese morning glory for its rapid growth and spectacular flowers.
The Japanese morning glory covered the garden fence with vibrant blue and purple blossoms.
We planted several Japanese morning glories along the trellis to brighten the patio.

Synonyms

Ipomoea nil

vsJapanese morning glory

Specialized

9.9

An annual climbing plant with bright, ruffled flowers often grown in gardens

is the common, informal name used by gardeners and everyday speakers

Surface Forms

Japanese morning glory singular

Japanese morning glories plural

Morphology

Japanese + morning + glory

Although the constituents 'morning' and 'glory' suggest a connection to the morning and something showy, that alone does not reliably tell a B1 learner that the phrase names a climbing flowering plant. There is a partial, motivated link (flowers that open in the morning and are visually 'glorious'), and equivalent literal names exist in other languages, so learners can sometimes infer the general idea but not the full botanical sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Japanese morning glory likely comes from a plant that was widely grown in Japan and opens its bright flowers early each day. The word morning shows when the flowers open and glory means 'beautiful', so the name helps you picture a lovely flower that appears at morning.