"Goat's foot" redirects here. For the unrelated Bermuda-buttercup, see
Oxalis pes-caprae.
Ipomoea pes-caprae, also known as Beach Morning Glory or Goat's Foot, is a common pantropical creeping vine belonging to the family Convolvulaceae. It grows on the upper parts of beaches and endures salted air. It is one of the most common and most widely distributed salt tolerant plants and provides one of the best known examples of oceanic dispersal. Itsseeds float and are unaffected by salt water.
Originally described by Linnaeus, it was placed in its current genus by Robert Brown in 1818.
This species can be found on the sandy shores of the tropical Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
Goat's Foot is a primary sand stabilizer being one of the first plants to colonise the dune. It grows on almost all parts of the dune but is usually found on the seaward slopes sending longrunners down towards the toe of the dune. The sprawling runners spread out from the woody rootstock but the large two-lobed leaves are sparse and a dense cover on the sand is rarely achieved except in protected situations. This plant grows in association with sand spinifex grass and is a useful sand binder thriving under conditions of sand blast and salt spray.
This plant – namely the subspecies brasiliensis – is known as salsa-da-praia in Brazilian folk medicine, and is used to treat inflammation and gastrointestinal disorders.
Community species: Ipomoea pes-caprae has been observed in community situations, studied for their endurance of difficult growing conditions (on dunes) with some other tough species.