The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Calystegia tuguriorum

Etymology

Calystegia: Name is derived from the Greek words kalyx 'cup', and stege 'a covering', meaning 'a covered cup', the calyx of some bindweeds being enclosed in two bracts.
tuguriorum: growing around huts

Common Name(s)

Climbing convolvulus, NZ bindweed

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Calystegia tuguriorum (G.Forst.) Hook.f.

Family

Convolvulaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

CALTUG

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Lianes and Related Trailing Plants

Synonyms

Convolvulus tuguriorum G.Forst.

Distribution

Indigenous. North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. Present in Chile and on the Juan Fernandez islands

Habitat

Coastal to lowland. Usually in shrubland and along forest margins. occasional found on the margins of wetlands. It often favours grey scrub and bare lava or open rock strewn ground.

Features

Perennial vine or scrambling plant producing numerous, slender, much-branched puberulent twinning stems. Often forming dense patches. Petioles up to 40 mm, slender. Leaves (10-)40(-50) x (15-)30(-40) mm broad-ovate to deltoid or reniform, entire or sinuate; base cordate, sinus shallow and broad; apex acute to acuminate. Peduncules terete to slightly winged, (30-)110 mm long, > leaves. Bracts broadly ovate to suborbicular; base cordate, apex apiculate. Sepals similar to and < or = bracts. Corolla (25-)50 x (30-)60 mm diam., funnelform, white. Capsule 8-12 mm, broad-ovoid. Seeds orange, smooth.

Similar Taxa

Could be confused with the only other consistently white-flowered Calystegia in New Zealand, C. marginata, which differs by its sagittate, fish-tailed leaves, shorter conspicuously winged peduncles, smaller flowers and black seeds which are ribbed and finely covered in protuberances. C. tuguriorum hybridises freely with C. soldanella (see under that species).

Flowering

September - March

Flower Colours

White

Fruiting

Present throughout the year.

Propagation Technique

Easy from seed and rooted pieces. Once established can be rather invasive and difficult to eradicate! Excellent growing through a hedge where the large white flowers can be seen to full effect and the creeping stems are more easily contained.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 22

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Capsules are water and possibly also wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 12 Nov 2014