Purple morning glory

Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth (purple, tall or common morning glory) is a fast-growing creeper species from Mexico and Central America. Its generic name comes from the Greek ips, ipos (worm) and homoios (similar), in reference to its thin twining stalks. It has heart-shaped leaves and beautiful bell-shaped flowers, which can be violet, purple, pink or white. One curious feature of this plant is that its flowers close up at dusk. Although the warmer climate on the coast of Granada is more suitable for this species, it can also be found in the Alhambra on the upper wall of the Low Gardens of the Generalife, where it performs the difficult task of adorning this enormous south-facing space with a spectacular bloom between August and November.