''Calystegia sepium'' (hedge bindweed, Rutland beauty, bugle vine, heavenly trumpets, bellbind, granny-pop-out-of-bed and many others) is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Convolvulaceae Convolvulaceae (), commonly called the bindweeds or morning glories, is a family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species. These species are primarily herbaceous vines, but also include trees, shrubs and herbs. The tubers of several spec ...

. It has a subcosmopolitan distribution throughout temperate regions of the North and South hemispheres.

Description

It is an

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

that twines around other

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

s, in a counter-clockwise direction, to a height of up to , rarely . The pale matte green

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are arranged spirally, simple, pointed at the tip and are arrowhead shaped, long and broad. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are white, or pale pink with five darker stripes, produced from late spring to the end of summer. In the UK, between July and September. In the bud, they are covered by large green but tinged with crimson

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s which remain but scarcely overlap and do not cover the

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s of the open flower. The open flowers are trumpet-shaped, diameter, white, or pale pink with white stripes. After flowering, the

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

develops as an almost spherical capsule, which is hidden by the bracts. It is in diameter, containing two to four large, dark brown, or black

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s that are shaped like quartered oranges. The plant thrives in hedges, fields, borders, roadsides and open woods. Hedge bindweed is toxic, containing calystegine alkaloids. It can kill an adult.

Identification

There are several species of ''Calystegia'' which and occur in similar habitats and can be difficult to distinguish, especially when not in flower. It is common practice in Britain to treat ''C. sepium'', ''C. silvatica'' and ''C. pulchra'' as an aggregate, usually recorded as "''C. sepium'' agg.", whenever identification is uncertain. The use of this term sometimes creates confusion about which taxon is being discussed. The best way to separate hedge bindweed (''sepium'') from the other taxa is by the bracteoles, which subtend the flower and wholly or partially encompass the sepals. Hedge bindweed has two rather long, narrow bracteoles which do not touch each other, whereas both large bindweed (''silvatica'') and hairy bindweed (''pulchra'') have shorter, wider bracteoles which overlap where they meet.

Taxonomy

Other vernacular names include ''greater bindweed, bearbind, hedge convolvulus, hooded bindweed, old man's nightcap, wild morning glory'', ''bride's gown, wedlock'' (referring to the white gown-like flowers and the binding nature of the vine), ''white witches hat, belle of the ball'', ''devil's guts and hedgebell''. A common childhood pastime in the UK is to 'pop' the flowers from the sepals while chanting "Granny, granny — pop out of bed". Several regional

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

have been described, but they are not considered distinct by all authorities: *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''americana''. North America. *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''angulata''. North America. *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''appalachiana''. Eastern North America. *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''binghamiae''. Western North America (California). *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''erratica''. North America. *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''limnophila''. Southern North America. *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''roseata''. Western Europe, coasts. Flowers pink. *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''sepium''. Europe, Asia. *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''spectabilis''. Siberia. Flowers often pinkish.

As a weed

While appreciated for its flowers, ''C. sepium'' can grow as a vigorous

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

plant, and is able to overwhelm and pull down cultivated plants including

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s and small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s. It is self-seeding (seeds can remain viable as long as 30 years), can rapidly regrow into whole plants from individual pieces such as discarded roots, and the success of its creeping rhizomes (they can be as long as ) cause it to be a persistent weed and have led to its classification in some American states as a

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...

. ''C. sepium'' is highly sensitive to

glyphosate Glyphosate (IUPAC name: ''N''-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is a broad-spectrum Herbicide, systemic herbicide and Crop desiccation, crop desiccant. It is an organophosphorus compound, specifically a phosphonate, which acts by inhibiting the plan ...

, a systemic herbicide, but eradication may require several doses.

Similar species

*''

Calystegia silvatica The morning glory ''Calystegia silvatica'' (syn. ''Calystegia sepium silvatica'', ''C. inflata'', and ''C. sylvestris'') is known by the common name giant bindweed or large bindweed. It is the largest species of bindweed and is a strong rampant c ...

'', giant bindweed, is sometimes treated as a subspecies of ''C. sepium'' *''

Convolvulus arvensis ''Convolvulus arvensis'', the field bindweed, is a species of bindweed that is rhizomatous and is in the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), native to Europe and Asia. It is a climbing or creeping herbaceous perennial plant with stems growing ...

'', field bindweed, is a similar vine with much smaller features. The rear margin leaf projections are sharp. *The leaves of ''

Ipomoea pandurata ''Ipomoea pandurata'', known as man of the earth, wild potato vine, manroot, wild sweet potato, and wild rhubarb, is a species of herbaceous perennial vine native to North America. It is a twining plant of woodland verges and rough places with ...

'', wild potato vine, are shaped like a heart, not like an arrowhead.

Gallery

Calystegia sepium 05.jpg Calystegia sepium 02.jpg

References

External links

Flora Europaea: ''Calystegia sepium''
* . One of the Flowers of Loveliness for 1838 combining an engraved picture, ''White Rose and Night Convolvulus'', from Eliza Sharpe with a poetical illustration from

Letitia Elizabeth Landon Letitia Elizabeth Landon (14 August 1802 – 15 October 1838) was an English poet and novelist, better known by her initials L.E.L. The writings of Landon are transitional between Romanticism and the Victorian Age. Her first major breakthrough ...

.
Species Accounts, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland: Calystegia sepiumOhio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide
{{Taxonbar, from=Q161704 sepium Flora of North America Flora of Asia Flora of Europe Flora of Western Australia Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)