Practical
Plants

Convolvulus erubescens

Australian Bindweed

a perennial woody member of the Convolvulus genus in the family Convolvulaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Woodiness
woody
Height
2 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Flies, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies, Self

Uses

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Used in the treatment of diarrhoea, indigestion and stomach pains[3].

Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Stomachic

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Climber

Environment

Range
Australia - all areas except the extreme north.
Habitat
Loamy soils in grassland and open forest to the montane zone[3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown in situ as soon as it is ripe, it germinates in the autumn[5]. This species can become a real pest in the garden so it is unwise to encourage it.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[4], 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[6] of low to medium fertility[7]. 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[1][9]. It is a climbing plant that supports itself by twining around any support it can find and can soon swamp and strangle other plants[9]. The flowers close at night and also during rainy weather[9]. Some members of this genus harbour tobacco mosaic virus of the Solanaceae[2] and so should not be grown near potatoes, tomatoes and other members of that family.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

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  3. Lassak. E. V. and McCarthy. T. Australian Medicinal Plants.

    ↩1↩2

  4. Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria.

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  5. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

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  6. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

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  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  8. Carolin. R. & Tindale. M. Flora of the Sydney Region Reed. Australia. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0730104001

  9. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

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