CALYSTEGIA SILVATICA

Family:- CONVOLVULACEAE

Common Name:- Great bindweed

Synonyms:- Calystegia sepium subsp. silvatica, Convolvulus sepium subsp.

silvaticus, Convolvulus silvaticus, Volvulus silvaticus.

Meaning:- Calystegia (Gr) Calyx-cover.

Silvatica (L) Of woodlands, of the woods.

General description:- Variable vigorous climbing and twining perennial, hairy or

hairless

Stems:-

1) To 3m. strongly climbing.

Leaves:-

1) More or less sagittate, sinus rounded, with divergent or sometimes parallel sides.

Flowers:-

1) Peduncle without a narrow, repand wing.

2) Bracteoles 14-32(-38) mm wide when flattened, overlapping, closely investing the

calyx and almost completely concealing it, weakly to strongly saccate at the

base, subacute to broadly rounded or emarginate at the apex.

3) Corolla usually 50-90 mm, white; occasionally the outside of the centre-band

only of each lobe suffused with pink.

4) Stamens 24-37(-40) mm.

5) Anthers 6-8 mm.

Fruit:-

1) A capsule.

Key features:-

1) Corolla white, usually 50-90 mm.

2) Bracteoles almost completely concealing the calyx, overlapping, saccate at the

base, subacute to rounded at the apex.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Woodland margins, shady embankments of forest roads, gorges, thickets

by streams and in coastal areas 0-1400 m.

Distribution:- Scattered throughout Greece, S. Europe and SW. Asia. through

Anatolia. Rare on Crete known only from 3 locations.

Flowering time:- May-June.

Photos by:- Marinos Gogolos