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Silvery Mallow-Leaved BindWeed |
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| Nomenclature |
Species name: |
Convolvulus elegantissimus (Sibth & Sm.) Stace |
Author(s): |
John Sibthorp;
United Kingdom, 1758-1796
James Edward Smith;
United Kingdom, 1759-1828
Clive Anthony Stace;
United Kingdom, 1938-
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General names: |
Silvery Mallow-leaved Bindweed, Mallow-leaved Bindweed |
Maltese name: |
Leblieba tax-Xagħri |
Plant Family: |
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Name Derivation: |
Convolvulus = from the Latin "convolvere", meaning to twine around, referring to its stem`s twining habit. (Latin);
elegantissimus = Elegant, pretty - referring to the beautiful flower or the whole plant in general. (Latin) |
Synonyms: |
Convolvulus althaeoides ssp. tenuissimus |
Remarks: |
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| Botanical Data |
PLANT STRUCTURE: |
Characteristic | Growth Form | Branching | Surface |
Description | Coiled & Prostrate: Twisted stem, winding. Stem is found laying and trailing along the ground and usually climbing along neighbouring plants, fences or other support. | Moderately Branched : Considerable number of secondary branches along the main stem. | Pubescent : Covered with soft short hairs often pointing downwards. |
General
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LEAVES: |
Characteristic | Arrangement | Attachment | Venation |
Description | : | Stalked / Petiolate : Hanging out by a slender leaf-stalk. | None : No prominent venation visible. |
General
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Characteristic | Leaf Shape | Leaf Margin | Remarks |
Description | Sagittate : Arrow shape. Upper leaves are palmately-lobed, that is radially lobed or divided like the fingers. Sometimes the lobes are further diided into 2 lobes. | Crenate : Shallow, smooth and rounded teeth. | |
General
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FLOWERS: |
Characteristic | Colour | Basic Flower Type | No. of Petals | No. of Sepals |
Description | Pink (With a white center). | Trumpet Shape : Petals fused together to form a flower having the shape of a trumpet, hence starting as a narrow tube but widens into a flared mouth where the petals often turn slightly back. | 5 (Fused together). | 5 |
General
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Characteristic | Inflorescence | Description | Ovary | Stamens |
Description | Unilateral Raceme : Like a raceme (with stalked flowers along stem), but flowers project from only one side of the stem. | Flower consists of 5 small overlapping sepals and a large flower with its 5 petals entirely fused together to form a trumpet shaped corolla. It has a pink colour with a white centre from which the 5 stamens and central pistil with 2-parted stigma comes out. | Superior : Ovary situated above the flower parts (the calyx, corolla, and androecium). In other words, these are attached below the ovary. | 5, Antipetalous : Stamens situated on the same radii as the corolla segments, hence radiating out over the petals - not alternating with them. |
General
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Characteristic | Scent | Average Flower Size | Pollen Colour | Other Notes |
Description | YES Possess a noticeable sweet vanilla-like scent. | 45-55mm | White | - |
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SEEDS: |
Characteristic | No. Per Fruit | Shape | Size | Colour |
Description | 1-4 (Maximum 4 per fruit). | Oval Shape of a lemon. | 4-5mm | Dark Brown |
General
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FRUIT AND OTHER BOTANICAL DATA: |
Characteristic | Fruit Type | Colour of Fruit | Subterranean Parts | Other Notes |
Description | Dehiscent Loculicidal Capsule : A fruit capsule that splits open longitudinally into the cavity of the locule when the seeds are ripe. | Green Turns reddish brown when ripe. | Rhizome : A prostrate or underground plant stem, forming shoots above and roots below.They serve as a reproductive structure and sometimes have thickened areas that store starch. | - |
General
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| Plant Description |
Life Cycle: | Perennial |
Habitat: | Dry soil or/and rocky ground, stony waysides, and dry waste ground especially besides fields. |
Frequency: | Very Common |
Sources in Malta: | Frequent in several places around the Maltese Islands such as at Dingli, Rabat, Siggiewi, Mellieha, Mistra, Wied il-Ghasel, Wied Babu etc. |
Plant Height: | Without support it remains trailing to the ground at a low height of about 15cm, but with support provided, its stem can extend upwards up to 1m. |
| Apr - Jul |
Poison: | Not Poisonous |
This perennial plant, produce prostrate stems with the ability to intertwine and coil so as to climb along with other upright objects, namely neighbouring plants. The stem is very thin and is silvery due to the presence of very fine, shiny, white hairs. It produces leaves and flowers at one side of the stem, the other side being the part resting on the ground.
The leaves are quite attractive in being symmetrically lobed and silvery-looking especially in sunlight. The leaf shape is generally heart-shaped in outline but it is so much lobed that this shape is somehow lost. The deepness of lobes vary. The older and basal leaves are unlobed or have shallow lobes and so the heart-shape structure can be observed. The leaves along the stem then gets gradually more lobed and the uppermost leaves consists of deep, very slender leaf lobes, looking like a few thin finger-like projections. The leaves lack stipules and have slender stalks of various lengths.
The flowers have long pedicels, longer than the leaves, probably to surpass and stand out from the leaves. They contain 5 small ovate sepals which persists during the fruit stage. The pink/lilac flowers are trumpet shaped (petals are fused), zygomorphic with 5 planes of symmetry. they are about 50mm in diameter. The flower have a characteristic white centre from which the 5 stamens and central pistil comes out. Each stamen consists of a white filament and an indigo anther. The pistil consists of a very small inferior ovary, a white style and a stigma, that is split into 2 parts.
The fruit is a spherical dehiscent capsule with a pointed tip. The capsule is about 8mm in diameter and green which turns reddish brown when getting ripe. It will split open and drop the 4 brown seeds (about 4mm in size) without any means of dispersion.
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| Additional Information |
Nomenclature and identification
There are at least two sub species of Convolvulus althaeoides, that are C. althaeoides subsp althaeoides and C. althaeoides subsp tenuissimus. The former is also referred to as Convolvulus althaeoides and the latter is referred to as Convolvulus elegantissimus. One important feature to distinguish the two (sub-)species is the centre part of the plant where the C. althaeoides has a darker centre (deep violet) from the rest of the corolla while C. elegantissimus have a whiter center. [300]
Nativity
This plant is native to the Mediterranean region including north Africa. [WWW-26]
Why it is difficult to extirpate the plant
Like many Convolvulus species, this plant is very difficult to get rid off and this is thanks to Its roots. Its roots run very deeply into the ground and extend over a large area. Furthermore the long roots are brittle and readily snap, and any part left in the ground will soon grow and send up shoots to the surface in a very short time. [WWW-03]
Personal Observations
Common habitants
While photographing these wild plants, many flowers had very small (perhaps less from 1 mm) bright-red insects which looked like mites. They are seen mostly at the very center of the flower and start running along the corolla when the flower is disturbed. Probably they can pass throgh the nectar holes of the flower to feed on the sugary nectar liquid. Click here for a photo of these insects on the flower [SM]
Perennial characteristic of the plant
Although this plant is seen for a couple of months during Spring / early Summer it is still described as a perennial, hence living all year round. This is due to the fact that the plant have living, underground, root-like rhizomes which remains 'dormant' during Autumn and Winter and shoots up when the climate rises to optimal temperature in Spring [SM]
Not much information about this plant has been found, neither in books nor on the internet. If you can supply further information to be included in this profile, please, do not hesitate to email me. Full reference credits will be given.
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