Are Morning Glories Poisonous?

The morning glory is a beautiful vine that has flowers and climbs. It can also be a shrub. There are different species, and they bloom from early summer until the first frost. Their leaves are shaped like a heart, and they come in pink, purple, magenta, blue, and white. 

Morning glory seeds are poisonous, particularly if they are consumed in large quantities. They need to be kept away from children and pets because they can be dangerous. They contain the toxin, lysergic alkaloids, which can cause a lack of coordination and agitation. If the foliage is eaten, it can cause nausea or vomiting. 

Related: 5 Plants Similar to Morning Glory

Are Morning Glories Poisonous to People?

The seeds of the morning glory are poisonous to people. Most adults won’t eat morning glories, but sometimes children will. If children eat the flowers, it is not dangerous. However, if they eat a lot of the seeds, it can be. Morning glory seeds contain lysergic alkaloids, which is similar to LSD. They can cause hallucinations. In addition, the foliage can upset their digestive system and cause nausea and vomiting. However, the roots, stems, and leaves can be eaten in small amounts as a famine food. 

People love to plant morning glories because they grow quickly; they can grow up to 15 feet in one season. They are brightly colored, and they love the sunlight. You can plant them after the last frost, and they will bloom until the first frost of the winter. The important thing to remember is that the seeds are poisonous, but otherwise they are safe. 

Are Morning Glories Poisonous to Dogs?

There are many species of morning glory that are native to the Americas, but they grow mostly in the temperate and subtropical regions. One particular species, Ipomoea violacea and Ipomoea carnea, are very poisonous to dogs. They contain lysergic alkaloids, which can cause quite a few symptoms, including the following:

  • Anemia
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Lack of coordination
  • Liver failure
  • Confusion
  • Tremors
  • Lethargy
  • Appetite loss
  • Ataxia
  • Dilated pupils
  • Hallucinations

The problem occurs if the dog eats the seeds in this plant. Unfortunately, if you have a dog that eats plants, it is likely to eat the seeds. The toxin is similar to the drug, LSD, and it harms the endocrine, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. It is important to take your dog to the vet right away if you are concerned that it ate morning glory seeds. 

Your vet will examine the dog and take blood. In addition, the vet might induce vomiting to remove the toxins. They will provide fluids and monitor your dog until it recovers. This poisoning is serious, so it is critical that you get to the vet right away. 

Purple morning glory (Ipomoea)
Yay Purple morning glory (Ipomoea)

Are Morning Glories Poisonous to Cats?

Morning glory seeds are poisonous to cats. If your cat eats the morning glory seeds, it can have nausea and vomiting. If the cat eats a lot of seeds, it could even suffer from hallucinations. The early symptoms include the following:

  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Discomfort
  • Twitching
  • Lethargy
  • Loss of appetite
  • Not drinking

If you are concerned that your cat has eaten morning glories, you need to take it to the vet right away. This is important because the symptoms can get worse quickly, and this type of poisoning is serious. 

Although some people believe that cats have an instinct about which plants are poisonous, that is not always the case. When a cat is domesticated, they lose some of their instincts. Your cat may not eat morning glory seeds all the time, but it only takes once to end up in the veterinary hospital. 

Are Morning Glories Poisonous to Livestock?

Morning glory is poisonous to horses, to goats, to sheep, and to chickens. If you have morning glory growing in your pastures, livestock can be poisoned if they eat the seeds. It takes a lot of seeds to cause serious symptoms. These symptoms include gastrointestinal irritation, hallucinations, paralysis, and seizures. The seeds have chemicals in them that bind to the receptors in the horse’s brain. In turn, it can cause damage to the nervous system, the heart, and the endocrine system. 

Some clinical signs that you may see include the following:

  • Diarrhea
  • Agitation
  • Lack of coordination
  • Disorientation
  • Dilated pupils
  • Loss of appetite
  • Gastrointestinal upset
  • Hallucinations
  • Tremors
  • Liver failure

If you think your horse has eaten morning glory seeds, you need to call your vet right away. This type of poisoning is serious, and if it isn’t treated, it can be fatal. 

Morning glories are also poisonous to goats. The seeds can cause the same symptoms in goats, sheep, cattle, hogs, and other livestock. They need to eat a lot of seeds, but it can be very dangerous for them. As is the case with horses, you need to call the vet if any of your livestock eat morning glory seeds. 

With chickens, the morning glory seeds lead to diarrhea and an upset stomach, as well as water belly and other more serious symptoms. Chickens are small, so it takes far fewer seeds to cause a toxic reaction in them. Chickens often know what plants are safe, but they still can eat the morning glory seeds. If you have morning glory growing near where your chickens range, you should move it or move the chickens to make sure that they don’t eat it. 

Water belly in chickens is a bloated belly, and it happens because the body isn’t able to circulate oxygen quickly enough. The liver is stressed, so fluids leak into the abdomen. You need to call the vet if you notice that your chicken has eaten morning glory seeds. 

Are Morning Glories Poisonous to Wildlife?

The morning glory seeds are poisonous to deer, but they love to eat them anyway. In addition, rabbits, birds, groundhogs, and chipmunks eat it. Although the seeds are poisonous, deer and other wild animals have a sense about this and tend to avoid eating the seeds. 

If you are growing morning glory, deer will eat it, so you may need to erect a fence or find a way to deter them.