Ipomoea arborescens, commonly called Tree Morning Glory, is commonly found in dry desert tropics (3).  This tree is a Mexican native, originating from Northwestern Mexico in the Sonoran Desert (2).  Tree Morning Glory is grown in backyards and used in landscaping of large spaces.

Tree Morning Glory is a natural desert dweller, meaning that it naturally does well in hotter temperatures (3).  On the other hand it is quite susceptible to cold temperatures and does not tolerate frost.  This tree is most successful in the United States Department of Agriculture zone 9 and above (3).  It requires little moisture, and does well in moist soil as long as it has full sun (3,4).  Tree Morning Glory is in leaf only during the summer rainy season, the leave fall at the end of summer and flowering starts in the winter (5).  Dry and arid environments are the most suitable for this tree along with neutral weather conditions (3).

The flowers of Tree Morning Glory are a food source for hummingbirds, bees and long-nosed bats (5).  The leaves of the tree are shed at the end of summer and the flowers fall after winder around march providing animals like deer with forage (5).  The seeds of plants in the Morning Glory family contain ergine a lysergic alkaloid, also known as LSD (6).  Native Americans used this plant in their religious and medicinal ceremonies (6).  The alkaloids cause delusions, and hallucinations as a result of the affect of this alkaloid on the human brain (6).