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Hedge Bindweed

Botanical Name:

Calystegia sepium

Non-listed Invasive Weed

General

  • Native to Eurasia; commonly referred to as morning glory.
  • Grows rapidly and twines around other plants, eventually forming dense, tangles that are difficult to remove and interfere with the growth of the smothered plants.
  • Threatens restoration efforts by out-competing new plantings.
  • Hedge bindweed is very similar in appearance to field bindweed (Convovulus arvensis) a Class C noxious weed that is also in the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae). 
    • Hedge bindweed has larger foliage and flowers, with more pronounced arrow shaped leaves, and large leaf bracts that cover the flower’s sepals. 
    • Field bindweed has smaller foliage and flowers, leaves have a more rounded apex, and pedicles (stalk that supports flower) have two small leaf bracts about 1 inch below the flower. 

Identification

  • Herbaceous perennial, weak-stemmed vine that can grow up to 10 ft. Stems are light green or red, with the leaves occurring sparsely. 
  • Leaves are about 4 to 5 inches long and 2 to 3 inches across.  Pronounced arrow shaped leaves with a pointed tip and deeply incised at the base. Upper surface of leaves are green and their lower surface is grey-green.  Leaves are attached to stems by long petioles.
  • Flowers are large trumpet shaped, white to pale pink in color, about 2.5 to 3 inches across. Flowers open during the morning. Flowers bloom indeterminately throughout the summer.
  • Fruit is an egg-shaped capsule containing 2-4 dark brown to black seeds that are 0.2 inches long.

Photos

Habitat

  • Grows in a wide range of conditions from full sun to full shade.
  • Prefers disturbed areas including cropland, pastures, abandoned fields, drainage ditches, and areas along roadsides and railroads.
  • Found in ravines, greenbelts, forested parks and residential settings; often escapes from compost and yard waste piles, hedgerows, fences and moves into surrounding natural areas.

Reproduction and Spread

  • Reproduces by seed and vegetatively from roots, rhizomes, and stem fragments. 
  • Seeds are responsible for introduction to new sites, seeds can remain viable in the soil for up to 20 or more years.
  • Lateral roots and rhizomes are the primary mechanism for spreading on the site, root fragments as small as two inches can generate new shoots.
  • Primary root is a taproot from which lateral roots develop.  Buds on the lateral roots develop into rhizomes. These rhizomes then form new root crowns once they reach the soil surface.
  • Grows along the ground until it comes into contact with other plants or structures; then climbs aggressively.

Control

  • Bindweed grows between and over plants making it very difficult to remove bindweed without damaging desirable plants.
  • Pull out or plow up all the bindweed for 3 to 5 years, roots left in the soil will regenerate in about two weeks. Be prepared to pull bindweed every three weeks, to deplete the root system and provide adequate control.
  • Pulling, cutting and mowing are ineffective alone.  Cutting and pulling morning glory off plants and pilling into rows, and then spraying rows with a translocated herbicide can be effective. Monitor for regrowth.

Chemical Control

  • Repeated application will be necessary to control bindweed.  Its root system can be so immense that not enough herbicide can be absorbed with a single application
  • Herbicides containing the following active ingredients are effective on hedge bindweed:
    • Glyphosate
      • Apply 3 to 4 quarts of product per acre. (1.0% to 2% solution).
      • Apply at full bloom to early seed stage of maturity.  
      • Application on fall regrowth may provide some control.
      • If you retreat in the same season, allow plants to grow and produce flowers before each application.
    • 2,4-D
      • 4 to 6 pints product per acre. (1.0% to 1.5% solution).
      • Apply postemergence at bud growth stage or in mid-summer to early August, before plants are under moisture stress.
      • Important to apply every year; skipping an application gives bindweed a chance to recover.
    • Triclopyr (Garlon 3A)
      • 3 to 4 pints of product per acre. (0.75% to 1.0% solution).
      • Apply postemergence at bud stage or in mid-summer.
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