Ipomoea pes-capraeBeach Morning Glory

Walk any tropical beach above the tideline and Ipomoea pes-caprae is the plant running across the open sand: thick, leathery, two-lobed leaves shaped like a goat's hoof, on stems that root as they travel and can reach ten metres or more from a single crown.

It is a primary dune stabiliser, holding loose sand against wind and salt spray, and it carries pink to mauve funnel flowers through most of the warm season while it does it. For coastal remediation and foreshore planting there is very little that competes.

Specifications

• Height0.15 to 0.3 metres
• WidthTrailing stems reaching 10 metres or more from a single crown
• Native toTropical and subtropical coastlines worldwide
• FoliageThick, leathery, two-lobed leaves resembling a goat's hoof, glossy green; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers loose coastal sand; tolerates saline, poor and highly free-draining ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; highly drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in tropical and subtropical coastal regions

Additional Features

• FlowersPink to mauve funnel-shaped flowers through most of the warm season
• UsesDune stabilisation, foreshore and beachfront planting, coastal slope cover and sand binding
• SpacingPlant 1.0 to 1.5 metres apart; the running stems close the gaps quickly
• Low MaintenanceNeeds cutting back only where it runs into paths or beds
• Pest ResistanceRobust in exposed coastal conditions
• Salt ToleranceGrows in direct salt spray and tolerates occasional seawater inundation
• Drought ToleranceDeep rooting through sand carries it through extended dry periods
• Erosion ControlA primary dune-building species, binding loose sand against wind and wave

Beach Morning Glory is the front-line coastal groundcover for dune stabilisation and exposed foreshore planting.