Local Plants: Hamahirugao (Beach Morning Glory; Calystegia soldanella)
This low-growing perennial plant in the bindweed family favors coastal locations, creeping over swaths of sandy beach and gravelly terrain. It has a white rhizome (a below-ground stalk) that stretches out into the surrounding sands, sometimes becoming entwined with other plants and objects. Its leaves are thick and round, with a glossy surface. In May or June, long stalks appear from the plant’s leafed root, followed by light pink funnel-shaped flowers. The fruit of the hamahirugao is oval in shape, with seeds that ripen to black.