How do you recognise Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)?

Leaf

Pierre Bonnet, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Field bindweed

Convolvulus arvensis L.

Also known as: Bindweed, Lesser bindweed, Cornbind

Family: Convolvulaceae

20 cm to 1 m long (creeping or climbing)

Crops, wasteland, banks, path edges

Flowering: June – September

Full sun

Part shade

Hardy to -12°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Its trumpet flowers close in a spiral every evening and reopen in the morning. Hedge bindweed has much larger leaves and white flowers twice as wide as field bindweed, whose leaves are small and whose flowers are often tinged with pink.

🍃 Leaves

Arrow-shaped, alternate, on climbing or creeping stems

🌸 Flowers

Small white-pink trumpets, coiling in a spiral at night

🍎 Fruits

Small capsule with two seeds

🪵 Bark

Twining stems coiling around any support

🗺️ Distribution

Europe, Asia, North Africa; very common in France in crops and on waste ground

🐝 Value for pollinators

Pink and white funnel-shaped flowers, rich in nectar, visited by bees

✂️ Horticultural uses

Regarded as an invasive weed of crops, with no ornamental use

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity to humans; mild purgative effect if a large quantity is ingested

⚠️ Look-alike species

Field bindweed

Convolvulus arvensis

Hedge bindweed

Calystegia sepium

Hedge bindweed has much larger leaves and white flowers twice as wide as field bindweed, whose leaves are small and whose flowers are often tinged with pink.

🌿 Other Convolvulaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.