Bindweeds

Bindweed Family - Convolvulaceae

Sea Bindweed Calystegia soldanella

Native in coastal sand dunes throughout the Mediterranean Region and Atlantic coastal regions of Europe. Also eastwards to Iran. Trails along the ground, often through Marram-grass clumps. Flowers rich, deep pink. Leaves kidney-shaped and slightly fleshy or succulent.


Habit	Flower	Leaf	Seed capsule

Hedge Bindweed Calystegia sepium

Native throughout most of the Northern Hemispheres temperate zones. Best told from the very similar Large Bindweed by the flower bracts, which are smaller, leaving a gap that clearly reveals the sepals beneath them. The flower stalk is hairless.


Habit	Flower	Flowers	Flower bracts

Leaf	Seed capsule

Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis

Native throughout the tropical and temperate regions of the Old World. Smaller than the Calystegia bindweeds and more likely to be creeping on open ground rather than climbing. Ten different colour forms of the flowers have been described, based on the amount of pink or white and the presence or absence of purple spots at the centre (three are illustrated here).


Habit	Flower	Leaf	Leaf

Form arvensis	Form decarrhabdotus	Form quinquevulnerus	Form perroseus

Narrow-leaved Bindweed Convolvulus althaeoides subsp. tenuissimus

Mallow-leaved Bindweed is native throughout the Mediterranean Region, Northern Africa and Macaronesia and is represented in Lesvos by the narrower leaved form, subspecies tenuissimus. Frequent in open ground and along roadsides.


Habit	Flower	Flower	Sepals

Lower leaf	Upper leaf	Upper leaves	Upper leaf

Five-lobed Bindweed Convolvulus pentapetaloides

Native locally throughout the Mediterranean Region to the Caucasus and Iran.


Habit	Flower	Flower	Leaf

Small Kidneyweed Dichondra micrantha

Native to Central America and the Caribbean but widely introduced throughout the tropics and warm temperate parts of the world. A tiny, creeping plant with leaves rather similar to those of Sea Bindweed, but paler and less shiny. Flowers tiny, 2.5mm across, carried low amongst the 4-20mm leaves. It is commonly grown as a ground-cover substitute for grass and has become an invasive weed in many countries, especially in hotel lawns!


Habit	Flower	Leaves	Leaf

Flower stalk	Creeping stems

Yellow Dodder Cuscuta campestris

Introduced to many parts of Europe from North America and capable of parasitising a wide range of low, herbaceous plants. Leafless stems yellow in colour, trailing over the ground in great tangles, like party string! flowers cream with a five-lobed corolla, in rounded clusters along the stems.


Habit	Habit	yellow, leafless stems

Common Dodder Cuscuta epithymum

Native throughout all of Europe and the Mediterranean Region to Central Asia and western China.


Habit	Flowers	Flowers	red, leafless stems

Alfalfa Dodder Cuscuta approximata

A very widespread species, occurring as a native throughout much of Africa, Europe, western and southern Asia and North and Central America, as well as being introduced elsewhere.


Habit	Habit	Flowers	Flowers

Flowers	Flowers	Flowers	Flowers

Flora of Lesvos An Identification Guide

Bindweeds

Bindweed Family - Convolvulaceae

Species List

Flora of Lesvos
An Identification Guide