Flower profile

Beach morning glory

Ipomoea pes-caprae

Beach morning glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) is a vine in the Convolvulaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–October across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Beach morning glory is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–October.

9states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

8,274U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Florida, Hawaii

Quick look

Ipomoea pes-caprae, also known as bayhops, bay-hops, beach morning glory, railroad vine, 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.
From Wikipedia's article Ipomoea pes-caprae, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Convolvulaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a vine with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 9 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Florida and Hawaii. ^NatureServe
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–October. ^iNaturalist
In Hawaii, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as red. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as indeterminate. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 1 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 4,843 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #40 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,584 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #23 among the 118 flowers on our Hawaii list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (515 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	June–October	4,843
Hawaii	Native	June–August	1,584

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S5, secure in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Hawaii: Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Hawaii. ^{HAR 13-107}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: MS (S1), NC (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsToxic to dogs, cats and horses

ASPCA's entry “Morning Glory” (Ipomoea spp), which covers the whole genus, lists it as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Signs include: Vomiting, large amounts of seeds may cause… ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records beach morning glory in 9 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas.

Florida counties with USDA records: Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gulf, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Sarasota, St. Lucie, Volusia.

Hawaii counties with USDA records: Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Maui.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Beach morning glory a medium shade tolerance, medium drought tolerance and medium moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 6.0 to 7.5 and winter lows down to 17 °F.

Shade tolerance: Medium
Drought tolerance: Medium
Moisture use: Medium
Soil textures it is adapted to: coarse, medium
Soil pH range: 6.0 to 7.5
Minimum temperature tolerated: 17 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 365
Annual precipitation range: 30 to 80 inches
Minimum root depth: 24 inches
Salinity tolerance: High
Fertility requirement: Medium
Growth rate: Moderate
Lifespan: Long
Active growth period: Year Round
Fruit or seed: Green · Year Round to Year Round
Can be propagated by: bare root, container, seed
Commercial availability: Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for IPPE. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Hawaii: Native; Lower 48 states: Native; Navassa Island: Native; Pacific Basin (excluding Hawaii): Native; Puerto Rico: Native; U.S. Virgin Islands: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 74 counties across 10 states; the most are in Florida (22), Palau (14), Texas (10).

Other Ipomoea on Bloomipedia (7): Tievine, Wild potato vine, Oceanblue morning glory, Beach morning-glory, Trans-Pecos morning-glory, Bush morning-glory, Obscure morning glory.

More from the Convolvulaceae family (12 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Field bindweed, Texas bindweed, Carolina ponysfoot, Hairy cluster-vine, Pāʻū o Hiʻiaka.

More Florida flowers

Oceanblue morning glory

Ipomoea indica

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: January–December

White beggarticks

Bidens alba

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: January–March

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in FL: May–July

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile IPPE.
iNaturalist, Ipomoea pes-caprae: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Ipomoea pes-caprae (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
Hawaii: Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
Hawaii: Hawaii noxious weed list (HAR 4-68).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Ipomoea pes-caprae (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Scott Allen Davis via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.