Plant of the Month: Beach Morning Glory

PlantOfTheMonthWEB

By ALEXANDRA BROTZMAN
Special to the PRESS

Most people associate the Keep South Padre Island Beautiful Committee (KSPIBC) with a group of Island locals dedicated to beach cleanups, recycling and conservation. While all of this is true, the group is also dedicated to community education and involvement. For this reason, we have decided to bring back a popular informational piece highlighting a local plant of the month.

This first month’s plant is the Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea imperati) from the convolvulaceae family. The plant, which has also been known as the Goat’s Foot Railroad Vine, or Bayhops, has a funnel shaped flower with petals that tend to grow together. The flower is white with a yellow center and can grow up to 2 and 3/4 inches long. Beach Morning Glory seeds easily float, and are unaffected by the salt water. This vine-like perennial blooms in spring, summer, and fall; opening with the early morning sun and closing again before dark. This is a plant found in the coastal sands of North America, such as that of Cameron and Willacy counties, and is an important stabilizer of the delicate sand dunes of South Padre Island.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2015/12/31/plant-of-the-month-beach-morning-glory/

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