
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.
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.
- Glyphosate