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Convolvulus
By peace | December 2, 2006
Common names: bindweed and morning glory
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Solanales
Family: Convolvulaceae
Genus: Convolvulus
Convolvulus is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include bindweed and morning glory, both names shared with other closely related genera.
They are annual or perennial herbaceous vines and (a few species) woody shrubs, growing to 0.3-3 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, and the flowers trumpet-shaped, mostly white or pink, but blue, violet, purple or yellow in some species.
Many of the species are problematic weeds, which can swamp other more valuable plants by climbing over them, but some are also deliberately grown for their attractive flowers.
This species occurs in many temperate regions. They are mostly slender, creeping winding vines. A few are small perennials. They have simple, alternate leaves and wide funnel-shaped flowers.
Convolvulus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the leaf-miner Bucculatrix cantabricella which feeds exclusively on Convolvulus cantabricus.
Morning Glories will grow in regular soil, which is moist to on the dry side, in a sunny position. Those grown in the greenhouse need to be grown in large pots or tubs or in a prepared bed of soil filled with two parts loam, one part peat moss or leaf mold and one part well-decayed manure, with a liberal amount of sand. They need a minimum winter temperature of 45 degrees. Train the shoots to wires or a trellis attached to the wall or roof of the greenhouse. In early spring, the soil is top dressed with rich compost and straggling shoots are cut off to prevent crowding. From April to May, a lot of water should be given and occasional applications of dilute liquid fertilizer. During the winter, the soil is moistened only when dry.
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