Morning glory is on the Prohibited Noxious Weeds list in Michigan. This means that seeds or plants cannot be sold in or transported to the state. This is a state law, rather than a Federal law, which is probably why the big box stores have them. They shouldn't be selling them, though.

Michigan is not the only state that has banned certain members of the Convolvulaceae family. MANY states have done so and in some, the penalties are pretty strict. They are also illegal in many other countries around the world, partly to do with the invasive situation and partly because of a Schedule III status due to the hallucinogenic chemicals in the seeds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's the information

Interesting indeed, and strange too... not just the law but the execution of it... because you can go to any supermarket and find Ipomoea seed on the seed racks.

I suppose if I buy a pack of morning glory seeds and bring it home, even without growing it, I will have committed an illegal activity of transporting some prohibited noxious weed seeds.

sigh.... the law is made for bad guys (some Biblical reference) but applies only to good guys.

no dave.. you will buy a pack of named cultivar.. presumably ...

the list has only the species...

and if you read just a little deeper.. it has to do with the allowable level of weed seed in any given lot of cultivar seed ... if i read it right ...

so i doubt big brother will come hunting you down.. lol ...

i was surprised pokeweed wasnt on the list [which was what made me read just a little deeper] .. but then i dont know who sells seed from that family ...

but i can provide a bazillion nightshade seeds or plants... care of the birds ...

ken

Quite a few of the seed-packet Morning Glories will self-sow like crazy. Last year I spent a fair amount of time killing out a lot of blue morning glories that were trying to "take over" the immediate area around here. They were kind of pretty, but totally out of control. A previous renter here had undoubtedly planted some to grow up the gutter chutes, and those must have produced a bountiful seed crop.

I am wondering now how many of those seeds stayed dormant and will emerge this Spring. Morning glory seeds have a hard seedcoat that gives them a "time capsule" capability.

ZM

Lol. Yes, those seeds seem to come up for years, don't they? I grow my vines in large plastic pots to vine on bird netting suspended with tie wraps. In the fall, I take the whole thing down and toss it. There are way fewer seeds around now. But, still enough to sprout in the pots for the following season.