Seaside morning glory

Japanese: グンバイヒルガオ（英語表記）seaside morning glory

A perennial herb of the Convolvulaceae family found on sandy beaches of tropical coasts around the world (illustration). The stem crawls along the ground and sends out roots from each node. The leaves are alternate, broadly elliptical to circular, 3-6 cm long, and bifurcated at the tip, forming a fan-shaped shape as the name suggests. The flowers are funnel-shaped, 3-5 cm in diameter, pink-purple, or sometimes white, and bloom all year round in the tropics. The fruits are oval, and the seeds float on seawater and disperse long distances. Seeds that wash ashore can germinate on the southern Tohoku coast of Japan, but they die in winter and do not take root.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

世界中の熱帯の海岸の砂浜に見られるヒルガオ科の多年草（イラスト）。茎は地面をはい，各節から根を出す。葉は互生し，広楕円形から円形で，長さ3～6cm，先は2裂し，名前のように軍配形になる。花は腋生（えきせい）する花序に数花つき，花冠は漏斗形で，直径3～5cm，桃紫色，時に白色で，熱帯では周年咲き続ける。果実は卵円形で，種子は海水に浮き，長距離分散をする。日本の東北南部海岸でも，流れ着いた種子が発芽することはあるが，冬には枯れてしまい定着はしない。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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