Convolvulus erubescens
| Convolvulus erubescens | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 7' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Convolvulus erubescens (common name: australian bindweed)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in situ as soon as it is ripe, it germinates in the autumn[1]. This species can become a real pest in the garden so it is unwise to encourage it.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know how cold hardy it will be in British gardens. It is hardy to about -7°c in Australian gardens[2], though this cannot be applied directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. It is likely that this species will only succeed outdoors in the milder areas of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Prefers a lighter basic soil[3] of low to medium fertility[4].
Bindweed is a very deep-rooting plant with a vigorous root system that extends to a considerable distance and is very hard to eradicate from the soil. Even a small piece of the root will grow into a new plant if it is left in the ground. Once established this plant soon becomes a pernicious weed[5][6]. It is a climbing plant that supports itself by twining around any support it can find and can soon swamp and strangle other plants[6].
The flowers close at night and also during rainy weather[6].
Some members of this genus harbour tobacco mosaic virus of the Solanaceae[7] and so should not be grown near potatoes, tomatoes and other members of that family.
Range: Australia - all areas except the extreme north.
Habitat: Loamy soils in grassland and open forest to the montane zone[8].
Medicinal: Used in the treatment of diarrhoea, indigestion and stomach pains[8].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, self
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ Ewart, Alfred. Recording Census of the Victorian Flora. 1923.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lassak, Erich and Tara McCarthy. Australian Medicinal Plants.