Beach Morning Glory vs Nan sha shu teng

Ipomoea pes-caprae compared with Ipomoea littoralis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Beach Morning Glory	Nan sha shu teng
Kingdom same	Plantae (植物)	Plantae (植物)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (木兰植物门)	Magnoliophyta (木兰植物门)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (木兰纲)	Magnoliopsida (木兰纲)
Order same	Solanales (茄目)	Solanales (茄目)
Family same	Convolvulaceae	Convolvulaceae
Genus same	Ipomoea	Ipomoea
Species	Ipomoea pes-caprae	Ipomoea littoralis

Evolutionary Relationship

Beach Morning Glory and Nan sha shu teng share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Ipomoea.

Conservation Status

Beach Morning Glory

LC — Least Concern

Nan sha shu teng

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Beach Morning Glory	Nan sha shu teng
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Beach Morning Glory

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and deserts and xeric shrublands spanning the Oceanian and Palearctic realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Guinea, South Africa), Asia (Israel), Europe (Spain), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Tonga), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

Nan sha shu teng

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Oceanian biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Taiwan and Tonga.

Beach Morning Glory

The Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) is a species in the genus Ipomoea. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and deserts and xeric shrublands spanning the Oceanian and Palearctic realms.

Nan sha shu teng

Ipomoea littoralis, the coastal morning glory, is a trailing or climbing herbaceous vine in the family Convolvulaceae native to tropical coastal habitats of the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan, Tonga, and other Pacific island groups. The species grows on sandy beaches, coastal foredunes, and rocky coastal margins exposed to salt spray and tropical sun, where it often forms extensive mats stabilizing loose substrate with its sprawling stems and deeply penetrating roots. Like other beach-dwelling Ipomoea species, it is adapted to intense sun, salt tolerance, and intermittent drought, producing large, waxy, dark green leaves that resist desiccation and salt accumulation. The funnel-shaped flowers, typical of the morning glory family, are pink to lavender in color and are pollinated by bees, butterflies, and other insects. Seeds are enclosed in hard, water-resistant capsules adapted for dispersal by ocean currents across island chains. The species is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Beach morning glories play an important stabilizing role in coastal dune ecosystems across the Pacific, binding loose sand with their runners and root systems and contributing to the early colonization of bare beach sand that eventually allows succession to more complex coastal vegetation.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇹🇴 Tonga