Chagrin: Manroot envy (Ipomoea leptophylla)

Posted August 21, 2011 by Panayoti Kelaidis, Senior Curator & Director of Outreach

Closeup of flowers of Manroot (or Bigroot Morning Glory)
Chagrin is not the noblest emotion. Half way between humiliation and fury, it combines some of the worst qualities of both emotions. Some may have neighbors whose geese lay golden eggs, but my neighbor (an otherwise fine fellow who does have the habit of revving his racecars on otherwise quiet evenings) possesses something I covet horribly. As vaguely obscene as it may sound, I want. I need. And cannot have his manroot. To clarify things a bit I hasten to explain that it has that name because the roots can purportedly get as big as a man. A rather small man, perhaps.  The isn’t the only common name for one of our loveliest wildflowers: also called bush morning glory (Ipomoea leptophylla) occurs over much of the Great Plains and was once rather common around Denver. There are probably more box stores in Denver than manroot nowadays….More’s the pity.
Manroot growing in my neighbor’s wild corner

 There is the offending plant: it is immense. It is huge and utterly spiteful. It just sits there below my house looking at me.

It is magnificent, covered with dozens of gigantic flowers. It grows with no care, no worry, no fuss and blooms for weeks this time of year when meadows around Denver are crisping and we are watering our gardens like idiots.

The offending manroot in all its splendiferous obnoxiousness

Fondling the flowers....grrrrrrrr.

I remember when there were vacant lots up and down Parker road filled with bush morning glory. There is still an overpass not far from Colorado Boulevard and I-270 where dozens of clumps make a spectacle. We are irrevocably destroying (mindlessly, I know–does that forgive our stupidity?) so much that is wild and charming and beautiful in Nature. Fortunately, my racecar driving neighbor knows what he has and is mindful not to park his cars on it….bless him. Sort of.
You can see magnificent specimens of manroot in the South Ledge of the Rock Alpine Garden at DBG and in the sand hill portion of the Plains Garden. It is not easy to establish in gardens: it does best on sandy soils which dry out before the deep root can get to moisture most years. It is worth every effort to tame. Did I mention I have a measly specimen in my garden with two or three flowers on it? Sheeesh!