Morning, Glory: On your sunrise walk to beach, find beauty in dune plants

Morning Glory (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Winter on the beach is always interesting. Every day’s a new day. On your way to the surf, be sure to check out the dune plants. Two of the showiest vines are beach morning glories – a common name for two different species of dune plants in the Ipomoea family.

Ipomoea pes-caprae is the morning glory with the vibrant, velvety fuchsia-pink flowers. It also is known as railroad vine and goat’s foot morning glory.

Ipomoea imperati has pristine white flowers with sunshine-yellow centers.

The flower colors and leaf shapes distinguish each species, but both have a mighty duty: to help protect the Gulf Coast.

With their deep roots and vining, wandering ways, beach morning glory vines help stabilize dunes and, in the process, allow other plants to gain purchase in the sand, helping to reinforce the overall structure; dune vegetation is key to preserving the barrier islands that in turn protect the Texas coast. These two vines are not limited to Texas, they enjoy a near-global existence.

Both species have thick, leathery leaves with different but interesting markings. The pink-flowering morning glory leaves of I. pes-caprae are larger than those of I. imperati. The are three and a half inches and are cleaved, hence the Latin name, pes-caprae, which translates to goat’s foot. The intricate venation is light green; leaf edges may be lined dark red. The roots create large mats that can reach to three feet into the sand; vines can travel to 33 feet in length. They are found from Texas, across to Florida and up to Georgia.

The white flowered vine leaves vary in shape from oval, elongated heart-shaped to notched or lobed in an exaggerated trefoil shape; they are about one and a half inches long with prominent venation. The species is prevalent from Texas across the Gulf states and up to North Carolina. The vines can reach to 100 feet in length.

Both species are often seen growing together. Their flowers attract bees and hummingbirds; flowers open in the morning and begin closing by noon, the seeds are useful to some coastal wildlife and the leaves help protect the sand from wind erosion.

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Morning Glory flowers close in midday heat. (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Morning Glory leaves (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

An ipomoea imperati flower blooming in the sand. (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Leaves of Ipomoea imperati. (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Morning Glory (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Morning Glory (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)

Beach morning glories tolerate salt, heat, wind, drought and sand in the well-draining conditions of a dune habitat. The pink-flowered vines creep rather than twine whereas the white-flowered vines twine and sprawl.

Both species’ seeds disperse by floating in seawater, explaining the worldwide reach of these important beach plants. Beach morning glories produce an abundance of lightweight seeds that can be transported nearby by storm activity. Floating on the ocean, the seeds are referred to as sea beans or drifting seeds. Ipomoea pes-caprae sea beans can stay afloat for long periods, floating in the ocean currents, reaching distant shores.

During hurricanes, the vines can be ripped apart; the plant parts float and are often capable of recolonizing. Ipomoea imperati easily propagates by seed and at vine nodes.

Beach morning glories are long-living perennial plants, drought tolerant and best suited for coastal habitats rather than inland gardens.

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