Phil Bendle Collection:Calystegia silvatica (Great Bindweed)

Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Convolvulaceae
Genus: Calystegia
Species: C. silvatica
Binomial name: Calystegia silvatica
Common name: Great bindweed, Greater bindweed, Convolvulus, Morning Glory. Giant bindweed.

The morning glory Calystegia silvatica is the largest species of bindweed and is a hairless perennial strong rampant climber growing to four metres.It is native to southern Europe but has been introduced to many other areas because it is an attractive garden plant. There are several subspecies.
It has large, alternate, arrow-shaped leaves and showy white trumpet-shaped flowers up to 9 centimetres in diameter. Its stems are twining. 
It is considered a weed where it has escaped cultivation and now grows wild. It spreads easily via extensive hardy underground rhizomes and it scrambles up and over grass, tussocks and shrubs. It's a problem because it climbs over all other species, ultimately killing them. Can replace forest with a low weedy blanket, and is the last species in many cases when a bush area totally succumbs to weeds.
The aerial parts usually die down in winter. Most of its reproduction is vegetative.
The Great bindweed stems twine in an anti-clockwise direction when looking from above.

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