It seems these plants inspire extremes of reactions ranging from those who think them beautiful to those who dislike them intensely. The folk names will show this later but I'll start with the Latin ones.
- Native Convolvulus arvensis, Field Bindweed
- Native Calystegia sepium, Hedge Bindweed
- Calystegia silvatica, Large Bindweed, neophyte-naturalised introduced into cultivation in 1815 and recorded in the wild by 1863.
These are members of the Convolvulaceae family.
Convolvulus arvensis, Field Bindweed
A small white, pink or striped pink and white flowered bindweed which is usually low growing and trailing. It's another common plant I don't see often. These were on the banks of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. The corolla is shallowly five lobed and there is one style tipped by two stigmas.
There is no epicalyx but 2 small narrow bracts on the stem some way below the flower.
The underside of the bloom has 5 dark pink rays. The leaves are variable but generally arrow-shaped.
The roots run long and deep and it is hard to eradicate this plant from field or garden. The names Hell Weed in Northamptonshire and Devil's Guts in Kent, Lincolnshire and elsewhere perhaps reflect this. Cornbine in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and other places reflect its agricultural habitat. However the ever reliable imaginative folk of Somerset also called this Fairies' Wine Cups and Fairies' Umbrella! I'll stick with the fairies I think!
The botanical names come from Latin: Convolvulus means twining and arvensis field. Much more accurate and international but perhaps not as much fun!
Calystegia sepium, Hedge Bindweed
These plants were seen in Berkshire and Gloucestershire.
The roots travel a great distance and even a small piece will produce a new plant.
Mabey considers this a handsome plant with its large white trumpet-shaped flowers and mats of arrow- shaped leaves. I agree with him. The plant does good service in cloaking wire fences as in first picture. The sepals are enclosed by an epicalyx of 2 pouch-like bracteoles but these do not (or hardly) overlap and sepals remain visible. This is the ID feature that is important in avoiding confusion with Large Bindweed. I try to remember it with this sentence: "Hedges have gaps in them."
A children's game is to sharply pinch the base of the calyx causing the whole corolla to pop out and float to the ground while chanting "Grandmother, grandmother pop out of bed!". My husband remembers the game but not the chant. A whole series of folk names reflect this theme: Grandmother's Nightcap in Devon, Lady's Shimmy (chemise) and Our Lady's Nightcap in Somerset. Also in Somerset we have Devil's Nightcap and Fairy Trumpet.
Other names refer to the twisting stems: Bearbind in at least Kent and Surrey and Bellbind in Essex. The Devil gets another shot with Devil's Garter in Pembrokeshire.
Wikipedia says Calystegia is derived from two Greek words 'kalux' a cup and 'stege' a covering obviously referring to the calyx.
Calystegia silvatica, Large Bindweed
The flowers are larger than those of Hedge Bindweed with the bracteoles pouched and strongly overlapping thus hiding the sepals. This one had climbed nearly to the top of of a Leylandii hedge in Gloucestershire.
All these twining climbers twist in an anti-clockwise direction.
Acknowledgements
Harrap's Wild Flowers
Stace 4
Richard Mabey Flora Britannica
Grigson The Englishman's Flora
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