Calystegia sepium (Hedge morning glory)

Calystegia sepium (L.) R. Br.

Hedge morning glory, larger bindweed, hedge bindweed, hedge false bindweed

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Solanales	Potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, tobacco, petunias, sweet potatoes, morning glories, many others
Family	Convolvulaceae	Bindweed or morning glory family
Genus	Calystegia	From Greek kalux, “cup,” and stegos, “a covering”
Species	sepium	“Growing in hedges”

About plant names...

Bindweeds, sometimes called wild morning glories, are vines that twine around other plants. They are native to temperate regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, Australia, and Argentina. They are attractive, but they are aggressive and, in some areas, invasive.

Identification: This species is a vine that climbs up to about 12' (3.7 m). The vine itself is light green or red. The flowers are trumpet-shaped, up to 3" (7.6 cm) across, usually white, occasionally pink and white, with a yellow throat. (If you have seen morning glories, you will recognize these flowers.) Leaves are shaped like arrowheads (sagittate). Seed pods are nearly round, containing two seeds looking similar to orange segments.

Some similar-looking plants:

6/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 3½" (9.4 × 9.5 cm) ID is uncertain

6/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 21 × 31" (52 × 78 cm) ID is uncertain

	*Convolvulus arvensis*	You are here Calystegia sepium	*Polygonum convolvulus*
Common Name	field bindweed	hedge morning glory	black bindweed
Plant	Vines are 20-79" (50-200 cm) high.	Vine up to 12’ in length, stem light green or red	Vine up to 3' (1 m) long. At leaf nodes there is an ocrea.
Flowers	Trumpet-shaped, ⅜-⅞" (1-2.5 cm) in diameter, and white or pale pink. Small bracts are separate from the flowers.	Trumpet-shaped, up to 3” across, white or pink and white, with a yellow throat	Small, greenish-pink to greenish-white, in racemes (bunches); individual flowers are ⅛" (4 mm) long, racemes are up to 2½" (6.3 cm) long
Leaves	¾-1¾" (2-5 cm) × ⅜-1" (1-3 cm) wide, either linear or shaped like arrowheads (sagittate).	Shaped like arrowheads (sagittate)	Alternate, triangular or heart-shaped, lower corners of leaves aim *inward toward the petiole (leaf stem)*
Fruit	Seeds ⅛" (3.2 mm) long, with two flat sides and a convex side, like an orange segment.	Nearly round, in pairs, like segments of an orange	Three-sided, with a single dull black seed
Range/ Zones
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild

	*Polygonum scandens*
Common Name	climbing false buckwheat
Plant	Vines up to 20' (6.1 m) long. Stems are light green to bright red, almost hairless. Where leaves attach to the stem, there is a protective sheath, or ocrea
Flowers	Racemes are 2-8" (5-20 cm) long, with small greenish flowers.
Leaves	Ovate, approaching sagittate (shaped like an arrowhead), up to 2" (5 cm) × 4" (10 cm). Leaf petioles are up to 1½" (3.8 cm) long
Fruit	Greenish, with white or pink borders.
Range/ Zones
Type	Wild

Seed pod and seeds. By Leo Michels.

Online References:

Calystegia sepium on Missouriplants.com

Calystegia sepium at Illinois Wildflowers

Calystegia sepium on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Calystegia sepium on the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Calystegia sepium on Wikipedia

Calystegia sepium on luirig.altervista.org

8/25/2007 · Tillamook State Forest, Oregon
≈ 10 × 7" (26 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

7/15/1998 · Kennebunkport, Maine

7/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 10 × 14" (26 × 35 cm) ID is uncertain

Calystegia sepium description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.

7/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 12 × 17" (29 × 44 cm) ID is uncertain

6/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

7/5/2010 · Tarrywile Park and Mansion, Danbury, Connecticut
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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