E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Fallopia convolvulus (L.) A. Love
black bindweed
Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Alfred Cook  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #8543)

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Distribution of Fallopia convolvulus
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Species Information

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General:
Annual herb from taproot; stems prostrate, climbing, or almost erect, solitary or few, branched, smooth, 20-100 cm tall/long.
Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves arrow-head- to egg-shaped, dull green, the blades 2-5 cm long, the stalks short to long; stipules funnel-shaped, 2-5 mm long, usually brownish-membranous, soon deciduous.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of few to several flowers in axillary and terminal racemes or reduced panicles; perianths green, 3.5-4.5 mm long, 5-lobed.
Fruits:
Achenes 3-angled, black, very finely granular, dull to shiny, 3-4 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist to mesic waste places and fields in the lowland, steppe and montane zones infrequent in S BC, rare northward; introduced from Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Fallopia convolvulus

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 460 753 1680
Slope Gradient (%) 0 15 80
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
10 167 216
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
1 3 5
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
B
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
12
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BG(1), ESSF(1), ICH(2), IDF(4), PP(3)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Polygonum convolvulus L.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References