''Calystegia soldanella'' (syn. ''Convolvulus soldanella'') is a species of

bindweed Bindweed may refer to: * Some species of Convolvulaceae (bindweed family or morning glory family): ** ''Calystegia'' (bindweed, false bindweed, morning glory), a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants ** ''Convolvulus'' (bindweed, morning ...

known by various common names such as sea bells, sea bindweed, seashore false bindweed, shore bindweed, shore convolvulus and beach morning glory.

Description

It is a perennial vine which grows in beach sand and other coastal habitats in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

regions across the world. It is also known as 'The Prince's Flower' after Prince

Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

who sowed it on the Island of Eriskay, Scotland, when he landed there in 1745 to lead the Jacobite rising. The plant bears trailing, fleshy stems, kidney-shaped leaves, and creamy-white flower buds and attractive morning glory-like flowers with corollas delicate pink to vivid lavender. They are insect-pollinated.

Distribution

In North America ''Calystegia soldanella'' is found on the west coast and selected areas of the east coast. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

it is widespread on the sandy coasts of England and Wales, less common in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. It is also widespread around the coast of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and Mediterranean coast. In the southern hemisphere ''Calystegia soldanella'' can be found in coastal areas of Australia, New Zealand, southern South America and South Africa. In 1973, botanical illustrator

Nancy Adams Jacqueline Nancy Mary Adams (19 May 1926 – 27 March 2007) was a New Zealand botanical illustrator, botanical collector, phycologist and museum curator. Throughout her career (1943–1987), she worked at DSIR and later at the Dominion Museum ...

collected this species on the south coast of

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, New Zealand and it was still abundant there 51 years later.

References

soldanella Flora of Australia Flora of California Flora of New Zealand Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state) Flora of Northern America Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) Flora of Malta Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Solanales-stub