The morning glory flower is one of the most aesthetically pleasing trumpet-shaped blossoms out there. These ones grow on a hardy vine and are characterized by existing in many colors and their cycle of blooming and dying in one day.
So what is the morning glory flower meaning? The botanical nature of the morning glory flower has influenced its meaning a lot. The flower is a symbol of mortality of life and rebirth due to its blooming cycle. Morning glory meaning can also vary depending on the color of the flower as well as from one culture to another.
If you want to find out more about the morning glory flower and its different meanings, this guide will cover all the popular meanings and symbolism of this beautiful one-day blossom. Let’s jump right in!
Morning Glory Flower Origins and Etymology
Before discussing the symbolism and meanings of the morning glory flower, we should first understand why it’s called so, as it actually has an impact on the symbolism of the flower.
The morning glory flower is not just a specific type of flower, but rather a common name that describes a huge range of flower species in the Convolvulaceae family (over 1,000 species), especially the Ipomoea genus.
The reason why these flowers are called morning glory is their blooming cycle. In the vast majority of species, the blossoms on the vine will bloom when they’re exposed to morning sunlight, but the corolla will start to curl and fade a few hours after.
By the end of the day, the blossom will die, only to repeat the cycle again on the day after. With that said, some species of the family will actually bloom at night. Morning glories are originally native to Mexico but they spread all over the world due to their invasive properties.
What Does the Morning Glory Flower Symbolize?
Although the symbolic meaning of the morning glory flower can vary greatly depending on its color and the culture it’s used in, there are some general meanings that are common among several cultures due to the blooming nature of the flower. Let’s check them out:
1. Spiritual Love and Purity
One of the most popular symbolic meanings of the morning glory flower is spiritual love, virtue, innocence, and purity.
This is mainly derived from the blue and white hues of the flower, but more about its colors in the following section.
The flower is deeply associated with the spiritual forms of love, rather than the emotional ones, which is why it’s often planted around places of worship.
Wedding ceremonies are also decorated with these flowers as a way to hope for pure and resilient love.
2. Mortality of Life and Rebirth
This one is mainly related to the cycle of the morning glory flower, so it applies to different colors and even many cultures.
Since the flower blooms and dies out on the same day, a lot of cultures have established a symbolic relationship between morning glory flowers and the mortality of life.
However, it’s also seen as a sign of rebirth, rejuvenation, and second chances because the flower’s life rekindles once again on every new day. This also makes it a good symbol of second chances and starting a new chapter in life.
3. Fleeting Love
This one is associated with the warm colors of the flower as well as its nature. The flower is linked to various myths and sad stories about lost or restricted love.
For that reason, morning glory is sometimes seen as a symbol of the fleeting nature of love and how relationships may end. This symbolic meaning was heavily adopted during the Victorian Era.
4. Love in Vain
Another mainly that is heavily based on cultural tales and the nature of the flower is loving in vain.
The hopeful blossoming during the day and dying at the night was often seen as a symbol of not being with the people you love, even if the love is mutual.
What Do Different Colors of Morning Glory Mean?
In addition to the general meaning of the morning glory flowers, the specific color of the flower can add a whole new perspective to the flower’s symbolism.
In this section, we’ll take a quick look at the different colors of the morning glory flower and what they specifically mean:
Blue Morning Glory
Blue is one of the most common hues of the morning glory flower. In fact, you can find morning glory flowers in shades of blue from extra pale to super vibrant!
When it comes to the color blue, it’s usually associated with spiritual aspects of life. In fact, the abundance and popularity of the blue morning glory are one of the reasons why the flower is a symbol of spirituality and all-inclusiveness.
A blue morning glory often represents faith in others, respect, deep emotions, honesty and purity, peace, and even intelligence and quick wits.
White Morning Glory
White morning glory flowers have a remarkably unique look. However, the purity and innocence that they represent are quite common in almost all white-colored flowers.
Purple Morning Glory
Since the color purple is relatively rare in nature when compared to other colors, it’s often associated with luxury, status, royalty, and uniqueness.
Unsurprisingly, these meanings are also represented by purple morning glory flowers, as they’re a symbol of nobility, wealth, and beauty. Some also associate purple morning glory with hopefulness and healing.
Red Morning Glory
The red morning glory is a relatively rare variety. It usually represents the desire and passion between lovers.
In addition to that, the red color in morning glory flowers can be used to represent strong will.
Pink Morning Glory
Pink morning glory varies depending on the shade. Lighter pink shades represent playfulness, energy, joy, and peace while hot pink varieties are a symbol of gratitude.
Yellow Morning Glory
Yellow morning glory flowers are a symbol of cheerfulness and starting a new page, which makes it an appropriate gift for someone who’s starting a new adventure in life.
What Does the Morning Glory Flower Mean in Different Cultures?
As a flower species that exists in various parts of the world, different cultures can have different interpretations when it comes to the morning glory flower.
Aztec Culture
In the Aztec culture, morning glory flowers were seen as a symbol of rebirth. In fact, Aztec people utilized the morning glory flowers to make a specific concoction to help the dead in their journey to the afterlife.
This concoction includes crushed insects, tobacco leaves, and the seeds of the morning glory flower.
Similar symbolics of the flower was adopted by Native American culture, as some tribes also regarded the morning glory flower as a symbol of rebirth and renewal.
Eastern Folklore
Countries in the Eastern parts of the world have unique interpretations when it comes to the morning glory flower.
In fact, the correlation between the morning glory flower and sad romance symbolism is said to have originated in China.
Chinese folklore has a popular story that includes the morning glory flower. In that story, a young man and a young woman fell in love. As their love for each other progressed, they started ignoring everything else, including their chores and duties.
As a result, God separated them with a river, allowing them to meet only one day every year, which is represented by the blooming of the flower.
In addition to China, other eastern cultures also adopted specific meanings of the morning glory flower.
For example, in Japan, the flower is seen as a sign of love due to its vining nature and is often used as a gift between young lovers. In fact, Japan is one of the first countries to cultivate the flower and cross-breed it to produce hybrid species with impressive colors!
In India, the flower holds a sacred status and is known for representing peace, innocence, and purity. It’s also used in multiple rituals there.
European Culture
Morning glory is a popular flower in Europe and is often seen as a sign of good luck in many countries, especially when you spot one while blooming. In the England, the flower also represents the cycle of life and the mortality of humans.
This symbolism is heavily influenced by the Victorian Era, which marked the rise of Floriography (the language of flowers), in which morning glory flowers were a symbol of mourning short lives.
Religion
While morning glory doesn’t have interpretations in Islam and Judaism, it’s used in Christianity to represent the shortness of human lives in the world, and that everything will eventually come to an end.
Final Thoughts On Morning Glory Flower Meaning
In the end, we hope that this guide has helped you understand all the different meanings of the morning glory flower and what it means when the flower is used in various situations.
As you can see, the meaning of the morning glory flower meaning can vary greatly depending on the color of the flower as well as the culture it was used in, so make sure that you keep all that in mind if you receive a bouquet of these beautiful flowers.
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