Lady Doorly’s Morning-Glory: A Rare Puerto Rican Native Worth Knowing About
If you’ve stumbled across the name Lady Doorly’s morning-glory (Ipomoea horsfalliae), you’ve discovered one of Puerto Rico’s more mysterious native plants. This perennial member of the morning-glory family has managed to fly under the radar of most gardening enthusiasts – and for good reason. Information about this particular species is surprisingly scarce, making it something of a botanical enigma.
What Makes Lady Doorly’s Morning-Glory Special?
Lady Doorly’s morning-glory is a native Puerto Rican species that belongs to the extensive Ipomoea genus, which includes hundreds of morning-glory species worldwide. As a perennial forb, this plant lacks the woody stems you’d find on shrubs or trees, instead producing soft, herbaceous growth that likely returns year after year in its native habitat.
Where Does It Call Home?
This morning-glory is endemic to Puerto Rico, meaning you won’t find it growing naturally anywhere else in the world. Its entire native range is limited to this Caribbean island, where it has adapted to the local tropical conditions over thousands of years.
The Mystery of Limited Information
Here’s where things get interesting (and a bit frustrating for curious gardeners): despite being a documented species, detailed information about Lady Doorly’s morning-glory is extremely limited. We don’t have solid data on its:
- Exact appearance and flower characteristics
- Preferred growing conditions
- Rarity status in the wild
- Availability in cultivation
- Specific wildlife benefits
This scarcity of information suggests that Ipomoea horsfalliae may be quite rare, either in nature or in cultivation – or both.
Should You Try to Grow It?
Given the limited information available, growing Lady Doorly’s morning-glory presents some challenges. If you’re interested in this species, here are some important considerations:
Climate Requirements: As a Puerto Rican native, this plant likely thrives in USDA hardiness zones 10-11, requiring warm temperatures year-round and high humidity.
Sourcing Concerns: If this species is rare (which the lack of available information suggests), it’s crucial to only obtain seeds or plants from reputable, ethical sources that don’t harvest from wild populations.
Growing Conditions: While we don’t have specific requirements for this species, most Ipomoea plants prefer well-draining soil and full to partial sun exposure.
Better-Documented Alternatives
If you’re drawn to the idea of growing a morning-glory but want something with more available growing information, consider these well-documented native alternatives:
- Beach morning-glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) for coastal areas
- Wild potato vine (Ipomoea pandurata) for temperate regions
- Railroad vine (Ipomoea pes-caprae) for sandy soils
The Pollinator Connection
While we don’t have specific data on Lady Doorly’s morning-glory’s wildlife benefits, morning-glories as a group are generally excellent pollinator plants. Their trumpet-shaped flowers typically attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and various bee species, making them valuable additions to pollinator gardens.
A Plant Worth Protecting
The limited information available about Lady Doorly’s morning-glory serves as a reminder of how much we still don’t know about our native plant species. If you encounter this species in Puerto Rico or have access to ethically sourced material, consider yourself lucky to witness a piece of the island’s unique botanical heritage.
For now, Lady Doorly’s morning-glory remains one of those plants that’s more important for conservation awareness than backyard cultivation. Sometimes the most valuable thing we can do for a rare native species is simply knowing it exists and ensuring its wild populations remain protected for future generations to study and appreciate.
