''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 (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family

Convolvulaceae Convolvulaceae (), commonly called the bindweed, bindweeds or morning glory, morning glories, is a Family (biology), family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species. These species are primarily herbaceous vines, but also include trees, sh ...

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

Description

Hedge bindweed 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 ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

that twines in a counter-clockwise direction to a height of up to . The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are arranged alternately on the spiralling stem; they are dull green above and paler below, simple and sagittate (arrowhead shaped), long and broad. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are white, sometimes with pink windows, produced from late spring to the end of summer (between July and September in northern Europe). The buds are enclosed by large ( long), ovate-lanceolate, green bracteoles with keels and burgundy margins; during

anthesis Anthesis is the period during which a flower is fully open and functional. It may also refer to the onset of that period. The onset of anthesis is spectacular in some species. In ''Banksia'' species, for example, anthesis involves the extension ...

they do not (or scarcely) overlap. The open flowers are trumpet-shaped, diameter. After flowering, the

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

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 In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

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.

Identification

There are several species of ''Calystegia'' which 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 and hairy bindweed 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 Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

are accepted: *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''americana''. North America. *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''angulata''. North America. *''Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''appalachiana''. Eastern North America. *''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, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. Pla ...

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

shrub A shrub or 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 by their multiple ...

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, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

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 harmful to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or lives ...

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

glyphosate Glyphosate (IUPAC name: ''N''-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and crop desiccant. It is an organophosphorus compound, specifically a phosphonate, which acts by EPSP inhibitor, inhibiting the plant enzyme 5-en ...

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

Similar species

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

Convolvulus arvensis ''Convolvulus arvensis'', or field bindweed, is a species of bindweed in the Convolvulaceae native to Europe and Asia. It is a rhizomatous and climbing or creeping herbaceous perennial plant with stems growing to in length. It is usually found a ...

'', field bindweed, is a similar vine with much smaller features. The rear margin leaf projections are sharp. *The leaves of '' Ipomoea pandurata'', 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. Landon's writings are emblematic of the transition from Romanticism to Victorian literature. Her first major b ...

.
Species Accounts, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland: Calystegia sepium

Ohio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide
{{Taxonbar, from=Q161704 sepium Flora of Northern 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)