The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Calystegia silvatica subsp. disjuncta

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.

Common Name(s)

Great bindweed

Authority

Calystegia silvatica subsp. disjuncta Brummit

Family

Convolvulaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Lianes and Related Trailing Plants

Habitat

Terrestrial. Gardens, waste places, forest edges, roadsides etc

Features

Perennial herb with extensive and far creeping white rhizomes. Vigorously twining glabrous stems, to 2m or more. Lamina usually glabrous, dark green, triangular-ovate, sagiittate or hastate, base deeply cordate with rounded sinus. Flowers always singly, peduncles usually 8-20cm long. 2 large overlapping bracts at base of flower, enclosing the sepals. Corolla usually 5-8cm long almost always pure white, usually funnel-shaped. Capsule 1-1.5cm rounded and brown, with triangular-ovoid black seeds (Webb et al 1988 with additions from Melanie Newfield).

Similar Taxa

Distinguished by the dark green, glabrous leaves, large pure white flowers and large overlapping bracts at the base of the flowers. Hybridises freelly with the indigenous C. sepium subsp. roseata, F1 hybrids can be detected by their pale pink, white-striped flowers. C. sepium (L.) R.Br. subsp. sepium is not present in New Zealand.

Flowering

October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May

Flower Colours

White

Year Naturalised

1904

Origin

S. Europe

This page last updated on 26 Mar 2010