Family |
Convolvulaceae
Convolvulus arvensis
L.
Convolvulus arvensis L.
(First published in Sp. Pl.: 153 (1753); Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2; 1969)
• Life-form & habit : Perennial geophyte with deep, extensive root system; stems prostrate to climbing, slender, twining, 30–150 cm long, glabrous to slightly pubescent.
• Leaves : Alternate, petiolate; blades ovate to sagittate (2–5 cm), with acute to obtuse lobes at the base; margins entire; surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
• Inflorescence & flowers : Axillary, solitary or paired; peduncles slender, bearing two small bracteoles below the calyx; flowers funnel-shaped, white to pale pink, often with faint longitudinal stripes, 2–3 cm long; sepals ovate.
• Fruit : Capsule globose, glabrous, dehiscent; seeds 2–4, dark brown, finely tuberculate.
• Phenology : Flowers from March to October.
• Habitat & elevation : Fields, gardens, roadsides, disturbed ground and cultivated land; from sea level up to 2000 m.
• Lebanese distribution : Very widespread and common throughout Lebanon.
• Native range : Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom.
• Diagnostic remarks : Recognised by its small white to pale pink flowers and sagittate leaves; a persistent and invasive weed distinguished by its extensive root system and twining habit.