A native bindweed with large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers. It grows on coastal cliffs, sand dunes and forest margins, often forming dense mats. The flowers open in the morning and close in the afternoon. Each flower lasts only a single day. The flowers are up to 5 centimetres across, with five fused petals forming a funnel shape. A brief bloom. A single day to be seen. The leaves are arrow-shaped or triangular, with a pointed tip. They are arranged alternately along the stem. The stems are slender and trailing, rooting at nodes where they contact the soil. This allows the plant to spread rapidly across open ground, stabilising sand dunes and coastal soils. A plant that holds the coast together. The species is similar to the introduced exotic bindweed but has smaller flowers and less aggressive growth. The exotic bindweed (Calystegia sepium) has larger flowers and thicker stems, and it can smother native vegetation. Kaihua is a more delicate plant, rarely causing problems in natural ecosystems. It is an important stabiliser of coastal sand dunes, its roots holding the sand in place while the wind tries to blow it away. The name kaihua means food of the flower, possibly referring to the nectar. The nectar is sweet and was sometimes collected as a treat. A small sweetness from a small flower. The plant is not commonly cultivated but can be grown in coastal gardens where it will thrive in sandy, well-drained soil. On a coastal cliff, with salt spray in the air and the wind bending the stems, the white flowers stand out against the grey rock. Then the afternoon comes and they close, one by one, until the next morning when they open again. A short life. A single day. Then gone. No one told the kaihua that a day is not enough. It opens anyway.