Ipomoea quamoclit

Cyprus Vine, Indian Pink, Cardinal Climber, Cypress Vine, Star Glory, Hummingbird Vine

Message of the Flower

Love in the Physical for the Divine

The Mother’s Comment

Modest in appearance, but tenacious and charming; it does not make a fuss, but is very faithful.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

When I speak of the physical consciousness, I mean the physical mind and the physical vital as well as the body consciousness proper.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga - I: The Physical Consciousness

In my view the body as well as the mind and life has to be spiritualised or, one may say, divinised so as to be a fit instrument and receptacle for the realisation and manifestation of the Divine. It has its part in the divine Lila, even, according to the Vaishnava sadhana, in the joy and beauty of Divine Love. That does not mean that the body has to be valued for its own separate sake or that the creation of a divine body in a future evolution of the whole being has to be contemplated as an end and not a means—that would be a serious error which would not be admissible. In any case, my speculations about an extreme form of divinisation are something in a far distance and are no part of the preoccupations of the spiritual life in the near future.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Himself and the Ashram: Spiritual Force and the Body

Colour

Intense red, white

Family

Convolvulaceae

Cultivars

Not widely known for specific cultivars due to its distinctive features being consistent across the species.

Person who named the flower

Carl Linnaeus

Flower Size

About 1-2 inches in diameter

Flower Texture

Smooth

Number of Petals

Five

Floral Symmetry

Radially symmetrical

Fragrance of Flower

Mildly fragrant

Leaf Texture

Feathery, finely divided

Leaf Arrangement

Alternate

Leaf Color

Green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Climbing vine

Life Cycle

Annual

Blooming Period

Summer to early fall

Climate

Warm temperate, tropical, subtropical

Water Requirements

Moderate

Soil Type

Adaptable, prefers fertile, well-drained

Temperature Ranges

Warm temperatures

Sun or Shade

Full sun to partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Aphids, spider mites

Pollinators

Hummingbirds, bees, butterflies

Habitat

Tropical America

Role in the Ecosystem

Nectar source for pollinators

Ornamental

Ornamental purposes

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Ornamental gardening

Endangered Status

Not endangered