Calystegia
Encyclopedia
Calystegia is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plant
s in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae
. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution
in temperate and subtropical regions, but with half of the species endemic
to California
. They are annual
or herbaceous
perennial
twining vine
s growing to 1-5 m tall, with spirally arranged leaves. The flower
s are trumpet-shaped, 3-10 cm diameter, white or pink, with a sometimes inflated basal calyx.
The genus bears much similarity to a related genus Convolvulus
, and is sometimes combined with it; it is distinguished primarily by the pollen
being smooth, and in the ovary
being unilocular.
Some of the species, notably C. silvatica
, are problematic weed
s, which can swamp other more valuable plants by climbing over them, but some are also deliberately grown for their attractive flower
s.
Calystegia species are used as food plants by the larva
e of some Lepidoptera
species including Bedellia somnulentella (recorded on C. sepium) and Small Angle Shades
.
The name is derived from two Greek words kalux, "cup", and stegos, "a covering", meaning "a covering cup". The stem is creeping over the ground, not winding or hardly winding. The leaves are dark green and reniform. The petiole
s are ovate or elleptical. The corolla is pink or pale purplish, with 5 white stripes.
Selected species
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae
Convolvulaceae
Convolvulaceae, known commonly as the bindweed or morning glory family, are a group of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species of mostly herbaceous vines, but also trees, shrubs and herbs.- Description :...
. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution
Cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a taxon is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution if its range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. For instance, the killer whale has a cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the world's oceans. Other examples include humans, the lichen...
in temperate and subtropical regions, but with half of the species endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. They are annual
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
or herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
twining vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
s growing to 1-5 m tall, with spirally arranged leaves. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are trumpet-shaped, 3-10 cm diameter, white or pink, with a sometimes inflated basal calyx.
The genus bears much similarity to a related genus Convolvulus
Convolvulus
Convolvulus is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include bindweed and morning glory, both names shared with other closely related genera....
, and is sometimes combined with it; it is distinguished primarily by the pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
being smooth, and in the ovary
Ovary (plants)
In the flowering plants, an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. Specifically, it is the part of the pistil which holds the ovule and is located above or below or at the point of connection with the base of the petals and sepals...
being unilocular.
Some of the species, notably C. silvatica
Calystegia silvatica
The morning glory Calystegia silvatica is known by the common name giant bindweed. It is the largest species of bindweed and is a strong rampant climber....
, are problematic weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
s, which can swamp other more valuable plants by climbing over them, but some are also deliberately grown for their attractive flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s.
Calystegia species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including Bedellia somnulentella (recorded on C. sepium) and Small Angle Shades
Small Angle Shades
The small angle shades is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe.As the common name suggests, this species is closely related to the angle shades , and is considerably smaller , but does not especially resemble that species...
.
The name is derived from two Greek words kalux, "cup", and stegos, "a covering", meaning "a covering cup". The stem is creeping over the ground, not winding or hardly winding. The leaves are dark green and reniform. The petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
s are ovate or elleptical. The corolla is pink or pale purplish, with 5 white stripes.
Selected species
- Calystegia affinisCalystegia affinisCalystegia affinis is a critically endangered species of climbing or creeping vine in the plant Convolvulaceae family. It is endemic to Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island....
- Calystegia atriplicifolia – Nightblooming False Bindweed
- Calystegia catesbiana – Catesby's False Bindweed
- Calystegia collinaCalystegia collinaCalystegia collina is a species of morning glory known by the common name coast range false bindweed. It is endemic to the Coast Ranges of northern and central California, where it grows on slopes and in woodlands, often on serpentine soils. This is a rhizomatous perennial herb with densely hairy...
– Coast Range False Bindweed - Calystegia hederacea – Japanese False Bindweed
- Calystegia japonica – Japanese Bindweed
- Calystegia longipesCalystegia longipesCalystegia longipes is a species of morning glory known by the common name Paiute false bindweed. It is native to the southwestern United States from California to Utah, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a woody perennial herb growing into a bushy form up to a meter tall, with many...
– Paiute False Bindweed, Plateau Morningglory - Calystegia macaunii – Macoun's False Bindweed
- Calystegia macrostegiaCalystegia macrostegiaCalystegia macrostegia, with the common name Island false bindweed, is a species of morning glory, in the California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion...
– Island False Bindweed - Calystegia malacophyllaCalystegia malacophyllaCalystegia malacophylla is a species of morning glory known by the common name Sierra false bindweed. It is endemic to California, where it grows in several of the mountain ranges, including the Central Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada....
– Sierra False Bindweed - Calystegia occidentalisCalystegia occidentalisCalystegia occidentalis is a species of morning glory known by the common name chaparral false bindweed. It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows in hilly and mountain habitat, such as woodland and chaparral slopes. It is a woody perennial herb producing spreading or twisting and...
– Chaparral False Bindweed - Calystegia peirsoniiCalystegia peirsoniiCalystegia peirsonii is a species of morning glory known by the common name Peirson's false bindweed. It is endemic to Los Angeles County, California, occurring at the junction of the San Gabriel Mountains and the Mojave Desert in the vicinity of Antelope Valley...
– Peirson's False Bindweed - Calystegia pellita – Hairy False Bindweed
- Calystegia pulchraCalystegia pulchraCalystegia pulchra is a species of morning glory known by the common name hairy bindweed. This is a climbing plant which may exceed three meters in height. The bright pink corolla may be 5 to 7 centimeters and has distinct white stripes. This species is a weedy wildflower which has naturalized in...
– Hairy Bindweed - Calystegia purpurataCalystegia purpurataCalystegia purpurata is a species of morning glory known by the common name Pacific false bindweed. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the seaside scrub of the coastline and the chaparral of the coastal and inland valleys. It is a robust perennial herb growing from a woody caudex and...
– Pacific False Bindweed - Calystegia sepiumCalystegia sepiumCalystegia sepium is a species of bindweed, with a subcosmopolitan distribution throughout temperate Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia, northwestern Africa, and North America, and in the temperate Southern Hemisphere in Australia, and...
– Large Bindweed, Hedge Bindweed, Bearbind, Hedgebell - Calystegia silvaticaCalystegia silvaticaThe morning glory Calystegia silvatica is known by the common name giant bindweed. It is the largest species of bindweed and is a strong rampant climber....
– Great Bindweed, Shortstalk Bindweed - Calystegia soldanellaCalystegia soldanellaThe morning glory Calystegia soldanella is a species of bindweed known by the common names seashore false bindweed and beach morning glory...
– Sea Bindweed, Seashore False Bindweed, Beach Morning Glory - Calystegia spithamaea – Low False Bindweed, Upright Bindweed
- Calystegia stebbinsiiCalystegia stebbinsiiCalystegia stebbinsii is a rare species of morning glory known by the common name Stebbins' false bindweed. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, where it is known from only two spots in El Dorado and Nevada Counties. It grows in unique habitat in chaparral on gabbro soils...
– Stebbins' False Bindweed, Stebbins' Morning Glory - Calystegia subacaulisCalystegia subacaulisCalystegia subacaulis is a species of morning glory known by the common name hillside false bindweed. It is endemic to California, where it grows in North and Central Coast Ranges in woodland and scrub habitat. It is a hairy perennial herb growing from a woody caudex or a rhizome and extending...
– Hillside False Bindweed - Calystegia tuguriorium – New Zealand Bindweed, Pōuwhiwhi, Pōwhiwhi, Rarotawake