Calystegia sepium  (Hedge Bindweed) - photos and description

 

 


Two large bracts enclose the calyx.


Two large bracts enclose the calyx.

 

 

 

General: Perennial plants with climbing stems. Plants glabrous. Stems green to reddish-brown in colour.

Flowers: Flowers white, tinged with mauve, funnelform, we measured a flower at 6 cm diameter and 5 cm long. The flowers have two large bracts enclosing the calyx, the bracts are ovate, we measured a bract at 2 cm long by 14 mm wide.

Leaves: Leaves alternate, arrow-shaped to hastate, glabrous. The leaf highlighted in the bottom photo above was measured at 10 cm long by 7 cm wide.

Height: We measured plants climbing to to 223 cm tall.

Habitat: Woods and thickets.

Abundance: Listed as common, but has been uncommon in our experience.

Origin: Native.

Synonym: Listed in some of the field guides we use as Convolvulus sepium.

Similar species: I believe this plant is Calystegia sepium.

Budd's Flora
and Flora of Alberta list only one native Hedge Bindweed (Calystegia sepium). However, Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Saskatchewan lists another species, Calystegia macounii, as native to the province. The two species are described in Flora of the Great Plains, and the two have quite similar descriptions. Differences in the key:

- C. sepium is glabrous, while C. macounii is pubescent; the plant we observed was glabrous.

- C. sepium has leaves with bases 2-angled, while C. macounii has leaves with bases rounded. I thought this plant had more leaves with bases 2-angled, but also had leaves with bases somewhat rounded. I didn't find this characteristic very helpful in identifying this plant.

When and where photographed: We took the above photos on a rainy day, June 29th edge of heavy poplar forest, and July 28th, edge of marsh in forest, Moose Mountain provincial park, about 200 km southeast of our home in Regina, SK.