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Goat Foot Vine
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Goat Foot Vine
ative Photo: Vijaya Shougrakpam
Common name: Railroad vine, Goat's foot vine • Hindi: दो पत्ती लता Do Patti Lata • Marathi: मर्यादा वेल Maryada-vel • Kannada: ಬಂಗಡ Bangada ಬಂಗಡ ಬಳ್ಳಿ Bangadaballi ಕೆಂಪುಬಂಗಡ ಬಳ್ಳಿ Kempu bangada balli, ಅಡಂಬು Adambu, ದಸರಿ Dasari, ಯಡಾನಿ Yadaani • Malayalam: നാരീപദമ് Naripadam, Pulichuvadi, Pulichuvatu, Poochakkal-valli, Atampuvalli • Tamil: Attukkal • Telugu: Balabantatige • Gujarati મર્યાદા વેલ Maryada-vel
Botanical name: Ipomoea pes-caprae    Family: Convolvulaceae (Morning glory family)

Goat's foot vine is so named because of its interesting leaves. The leaves are notched at the apex, creating two equal lobes which look like the imprint of a goat's foot. Goat's foot vine can cover 100 ft as it races along the beach, but it never gets more than a few inches high. This is an evergreen perennial with a large, thick root that can be 10 ft long and 2 in in diameter. The stem is flexible, 0.5 in in diameter, branches freely and roots at the nodes. The fleshy leathery leaves are about 4 in long and carried on petioles 6 in long. The flowers are very showy, pink to lavender purple funnels about 2 in long. Each flower opens only once, in the morning, but they keep coming almost all year long, peaking from May through November. Goat's foot vine grows on sand dunes and beaches above the high tide line in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. It is very fast growing, and thrives in some of the the worst soils imaginable.

Identification credit: Pravin Kawale Photographed in Kerala & Maharashtra.

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