Beach morning glory: Beautiful, hardy - and toxic

Sand dunes are inhospitable places for most plants, but each morning glory (Ipomoea imperati) seems right at home.

You may not notice this sprawling vine until it bursts into bloom on the beach this summer. Its large, trumpet-shaped flowers, white with yellow centers, look showy enough to suggest the plant escaped from a nearby garden.

But this common vine is not a delicate horticultural specimen. Like other species that manage to grow on sand dunes, it’s resistant to salt spray, high winds, blowing sand, blistering heat, drought, and scarce nutrients.

Beach morning glory does more than just survive and persist. Along with a handful of other maritime plants, it actually colonizes the frontal sides of our dunes, binding sand particles and stabilizing the dune environment.

The trailing vine spreads rapidly via long horizontal stems (runners, or stolons), which sprout clusters of roots at intervals, anchoring the vine in shifting sands.

Its dark green leaves, up to 4 inches long, are thick and leathery. Some may be violin-shaped, giving rise to another common name for the plant - fiddle-leaf morning glory.

Beach morning glory occurs throughout the southeastern United States and in other coastal areas around the world. It’s one of about 1,650 species in the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), which also includes sweet potatoes.

As a group, morning glories have been used in folk medicine to treat pain, inflammation, gastrointestinal problems, and a variety of other conditions. But since the seeds of some species may produce psychogenic effects, it’s wise to regard beach morning glory and its relatives as beautiful but toxic.

This story was originally published August 1, 2016 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Beach morning glory: Beautiful, hardy - and toxic."