Field bindweed
Also known as: small-flower bindweed, possession vine, Creeping Jenny
Convolvulus arvensis L.
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Morphology
- Stem
- Vine, 4 to 80 inches long, slender, decumbent or climbing, twining, glabrous to sparsely and minutely hairy.
- Leaves
- Alternate, simple, variable, ovate or ovate-oblong to triangular, .4 to 4 inches long, .2 to 2.4 inches wide, glabrous or minutely hairy; margins entire or somewhat wavy; tip rounded to sharply pointed; base heart-shaped to nearly truncate, sometimes arrowhead-like; basal lobes blunt or pointed, spreading or pointing downward, sometimes with 2-3 shallow teeth; stalk 1/8 to 1.6 inch long; blade is usually level with the stalk.
- Inflorescence
- Solitary flowers or loose clusters of 2-3, in leaf axils; stalks .4 to 3.6 inches long; bracts 2, scale-like, elliptic, linear or obovate, 1/12 to 1/8 inch long, located .8 to 1.2 inches below flower.
- Flower
- Calyx bell-shaped; sepals 5, obovate to oblong, 1/8 to 1/5 inch long, margins usually hairy; corollas bell-shaped to funnel-shaped, 1/2 to 1 inch long, shallowly 5-lobed, white to pinkish; stamens 5, unequal, 1/3 to 1/2 inch long, not extending beyond corolla.
- Fruit
- Capsule, nearly spherical to egg-shaped, 1/5 to 1/4 inch in diameter, glabrous; seeds 1-4, egg-shaped, 1/8 to 1/6 inch long, glabrous, dull, rough, brownish-gray to black.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Open disturbed sites, cultivated and fallow fields, waste areas, stream banks, pastures.
- Distribution
- Throughout Kansas.
Practical Information
- Toxicity
- The seeds and foliage can cause mild digestive disturbance in livestock, but treatment is generally not needed.
- Uses
- Native Americans used a cold infusion as a wash for spider bites and used the stems as cords to carry birds and small mammals after hunting.
Additional Notes
Comments
Forms large, dense mats. The flowers open in the late morning and close again by late afternoon. From Latin convolvere "to twine". Field bindweed is a serious weed that has been declared noxious in many states. It is very difficult to eradicate. The root system is extensive with roots that can go down to 13+ feet. If cut or dug, the rhizomes that remain in the ground will send up new shoots. The seeds can remain viable as long as 50 years!
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Convolvulaceae - Morning Glory Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- Trailing on the surface or climbing
- Last Updated
- 2008-11-07
Color Groups
Flowering Period
Blooms: June, July, August