CONVOLVULUS ARVENSIS: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, REPRODUCTION, CARE - SCIENCE - 2025

Convolvulus arvensis is a species of herbaceous climbing plant that belongs to the Convolvulaceae family. Known as morning glory, cahiruela, bindweed, bindweed, bindweed, creeper, chicken tongue, mouse ear or trompillo, it is a plant native to Asia and Europe.

It is a creeping-climbing plant with fickle stems 2-3 m long, green-greyish deltoid leaves and white or pinkish tubular flowers. It has a robust and extensive root system made up of abundant rhizomes and lateral roots that penetrate more than 10 m deep.

Convolvulus arvensis. Source: pixabay.com

It is considered an invasive weed of agricultural crops, due to its easy vegetative propagation through shoots that emerge from the extensive root system. Its great invasive capacity competes for the use of light, water and nutrients, reducing the yield of crops such as vegetables, cereals and fruits by up to 50%.

On the other hand, its control through traditional tillage methods is not very effective, due to the great regenerative capacity of the rhizomes that easily re-sprout. The control method that has reported the best results is the application of systemic herbicides that is absorbed by the leaves and affects the deeper roots.

General characteristics

Appearance

Herbaceous and rhizomatous plant with a simple, thin and fickle stem, glabrous or tomentose, procumbent, extremely flexible and little branched. It is characterized by a creeping spiral-shaped growth and a climbing habit that can reach up to 3 m in length.

Leaves

Simple and petiolate leaves of variable shape, generally triangular, deltoid, oval or up to 2-5 cm long by 15-35 mm wide. They are arranged in a spiral along the fine stems, the leaflet has a cordate or sagittate base with an acuminate apex.

flowers

The hermaphroditic flowers have a campanulate corolla 20-25 mm long, white or pale pink, and slightly tomentose margins. They are arranged axillary in a solitary manner or in small groups on a short pedicel and 2-3 mm bracts. It blooms between the months of January and October.

Convolvulus arvensis flowers. Source: W. carter

Fruit

The fruit is a smooth globular capsule with 4 valves 10-12 mm long and 5-6 mm in diameter. Small, oval, succulent, dark brown seeds develop inside.

Chemical composition

The chemical study of the rhizomes has determined the presence of the glucoside convolvulin, a resin with purgative effects, as well as a-amyrin, n-alkanes, b-sistosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol. Stems and leaves contain the alkaloid of b-methyl-esculetin with toxic effects, and the flavonoids kaempferol and quercetin that irritate the digestive system in high doses.

In this video you can see this species:

Taxonomy

- Kingdom: Plantae

- Subkingdom: Tracheobionta

- Division: Magnoliophyta

- Class: Magnoliopsida

- Subclass: Asteridae

- Order: Solanales

- Family: Convolvulaceae

- Genus: Convolvulus

- Species: Convolvulus arvensis L.

Branches and leaves of Convolvulus arvensis. Source: Frank Vincentz

Etymology

- Convolvulus: the name of the genus comes from the Latin term «convolvere» which means «to entangle».

- arvensis: the specific adjective derives from the Latin "arva" which means "arable field", which translates as a species that grows in cultivated fields.

Synonymy

- Convolvulus ambigens House

- Convolvulus incanus auct. non Vahl

- Strophocaulos arvensis (L.) Small

- Convolvulus arvensis subsp. crispatus Franco

- Convolvulus arvensis var. linearifolius Choisy

- C. auriculatus Desr.

- C. cherleri Agardh ex Roem. & Schult.

- Convolvulus corsicus Roem. & Schult.

- Convolvulus longipedicellatus Sa'ad

Varieties

- Convolvulus arvensis var. arvensis: herbaceous plant characterized by broad leaves.

- Convolvulus arvensis var. linearifolius: its elongated and narrow leaves are particular.

Convolvulus arvensis in its natural habitat. Source: MurielBendel

Habitat and distribution

The species Convolvulus arvensis is native to Europe, West Asia and North Africa, widely naturalized in areas of subtropical, temperate and dry climates. In some regions it is considered an invasive weed that is very difficult to eradicate due to its great potential for vegetative reproduction.

Its natural habitat is located in humid, cool and shady environments, on the margins of roads or water courses, in intervened lands and fallow lands. It is considered a weed plant for crops of agricultural interest, such as cereals, forages, vegetables, greens, citrus, olive trees and vineyards.

Reproduction

The bindweed is a wild plant that reproduces in a sexual and asexual way, either by seeds and vegetative rhizomes. The seeds are easily dispersed and remain dormant in the ground, germinating naturally in late winter or early spring.

The root system of the bindweed is very aggressive, which facilitates its lateral growth through stolons and rhizomes. In addition, it is extremely easy to produce new plants from rhizome fragments or stolons from a robust and vigorous mother plant.

Convolvulus arvensis seeds. Source: Muséum de Toulouse

Care

- The bindweed is a weed species that develops in full sun exposure outside roads, streams, canals, drains, gardens, balconies or terraces.

- It is considered a weed in different agricultural crops, since it easily covers the crops, competing for water and nutritional requirements and solar radiation.

- Grown as an ornamental plant, it adapts to sunny places in a dry environment, it is susceptible to frost and its development is scarce in areas of freezing climates.

- It grows on loamy-sandy soils, slightly stony, rich in organic matter and well drained.

- Does not require frequent applications of irrigation, or agricultural amendments with organic fertilizers.

- Pruning work is carried out in order to regulate its growth and prevent it from becoming invasive of common areas.

- It is recommended to pinch the young stems with 6-8 pairs of leaves, so that the lower buds sprout and develop a more compact foliage.

Invasive habits of Convolvulus arvensis. Source: Frank Vincentz

Control

- The most appropriate control methods are cultural practices or mechanical control, chemical control and biological control.

- Cultural practices are quite effective, since they prevent the introduction and proliferation of weeds to the crop.

- Among the preventive tasks are the cleaning of farm equipment and agricultural machinery.

- Organic fertilizers, such as manure and chicken manure, require an effective composting process to avoid the proliferation of weed seeds.

- The preparation of the land, such as subsoiling, plowing and harrowing, is a cultural method that allows the seeds and rhizomes to be exposed to the sun, facilitating their elimination by dehydration.

- Once installed in the crop, it is essential to carry out manual starting and weeding.

- Work such as crop rotation, planting density and cultivation methods, allow an integrated management for the control of bindweed.

- Chemical control is justified when cultural measures have not been effective.

- Systemic herbicides applied directly on the weed, such as glyphosate, or with systemic-selective action, such as 2,4-D amine on the crop field, have shown the best results.

- Regarding biological control, experimental tests have been carried out with predatory and parasitic insects that have reported satisfactory results. However, there is still no evidence of its effectiveness at the field level.

References

1. Convolvulus arvensis. (2019). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Recovered at: es.wikipedia.org
2. Convolvulus arvensis L. (2020) GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist Dataset. Recovered at: gbif.org
3. Mondragón Pichardo, J (2009) Convolvulus arvensis (L.) Weeds of Mexico. Recovered at: conabio.gob.mx
4. Rosales Robles, E., Sánchez de la Cruz, R., Salinas García, JR, Pecina Quintero, V., Loera Gallardo, J. & Esqueda Esquivel, VA (2006). Critical period of competition of the perennial bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L.) in grain sorghum. Revista Fitotecnia Mexicana, 29 (1), 47-53.
5. Tamayo Esquer, LM (2014) The Perennial Correhuela or Gloria de la Mañana, factors that originate it and technology developed for its integrated management in the South of Sonora, Mexico. CENEB-CIRNO-INIFAP. 1 ^st Symposium on Integrated Management of Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis L. in the Vale of the Yaqui, Sonora, Mexico.