Morning glory is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae. Morning glory species are often grown for ornamental purposes and belong to many genera, some of which are: Argyreia, Astripomea, Calystegia, Convolvulus, Ipomoea, Lepistemon, Merremia, Operculina, Rivea, Strictocardia.

The family is characterized by milky sap. The most important commercial plant of the family is the sweet potato.

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Most species of morning glory bloom from early morning. After a few hours the colours start to fade and the petals will start wilting and curling. Depending on the weather conditions this may be around noon to later afternoon. They prefer full solar exposure throughout the day and moist, well-drained soil. Some morning glory species are night-bloomers.

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Morning Glory flowers can sometimes be as much as 20 centimeter across although most varieties are around 7,5-12,5cm wide. The vines can reach up to 5m within a single growing season. They are perfect for growing along fences, arches, and trellises. Anything they can climb on really. Because of their fast growth, climbing habit, attractive flowers, and tolerance for poorer soils, some morning glories are excellent vines for creating summer shade when trellised or grown on netting, helping to insulate the building and reducing heating and cooling costs.

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Many genetic and physiological studies of the Japanese morning glory have been conducted by Japanese biologists. Mutants (Henka-Asagao) are known to frequently appear in morning glories due to the actions of "jumping genes", called transposons. Researchers in Japan have even successfully decoded the entire Japanese morning glory genome.

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Ancient Mesoamerican civilizations used the morning glory species Ipomoea alba to convert the latex from the Castilla elastica tree and also the guayule plant to produce bouncing rubber balls. The sulfur in the morning glory's juice served to vulcanize the rubber, a process predating Charles Goodyear's discovery by at least 3,000 years. Aztec priests in Mexico were also known to use the hallucinogenic properties of certain species.