bindweed

morning glory

morning glory, common name for members of the Convolvulaceae, a family of herbs, shrubs, and small trees (many of them climbing forms) inhabiting warm regions, especially the tropics of America and Asia. The family is characterized by milky sap. The largest groups are the predominantly tropical morning-glory genus (Ipomoea), with species most abundant in Mexico, and the bindweed genus (Convolvulus) of more temperate regions. Many bindweeds are also called morning glory. Species of both are chiefly herbaceous vines of prolific growth and with colorful funnel-shaped blossoms that often open only in the morning. I. purpurea is the morning glory cultivated as an ornamental in North America. The moonflowers (including I. alba), tropical American night-blooming vines, have similarly shaped but much larger blossoms, often heavily fragrant. Convolvulus scammonia is the scammony of Asia Minor; a resin exuded from its roots is exported from Aleppo and Smyrna as a medicine. The most important commercial plant of the family, the sweet potato, belongs to the morning-glory genus. The wild sweet potato or potato vine (I. pandurata), a common weed of North America, is not eaten. The dodders (genus Cuscuta, formerly classified as a separate family) are common leafless, parasitic vines that often resemble bright orange threads. Each of the widely distributed species parasitizes a specific host; C. epilinum, for example, lives on flax. The morning-glory family is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Solanales.

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bindweed

bindweed

Includes Morning Glory. Aggressive vine with funnel-shaped flowers with 5 fused petals. Roots and young shoots used medicinally on some types as survival food and purgative, (causing the body to purge itself), but flowers overall not recommended for consumption because of hallucinogenic compounds. Be careful with these. Some are toxic, some aren’t. Too many for this book too explain. Do research.

Edible Plant Guide © 2012 Markus Rothkranz

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Bindweed

 

(1) A genus of plants(Convolvulus) of the family Convolvulaceae. The plants can be twining or nontwining herbs and shrubs. There are approximately 250 species, distributed mainly in the temperate regions. In the USSR there are 30 species. The most common is the lesser bindweed,(C. arvensis), a persistent perennial soboliferous weed with pale-rose slightly aromatic flowers. The plant grows on cultivated and fallow land, along dams, in ravines, and in other similar habitats. As green fodder bindweed is poisonous in large quantities, but it is harmless in hay. The desert species, C. divaricatus and C. erinaceus, are valuable feed plants. The species C. subhirsutus grows in the forest foothills of Middle Asia. A highly toxic plant of the Crimea, Asia Minor, and the Near East is C. scammonia.

(2) Often the name bindweed includes several species with twining stems of the genus Calystegia, which is also in the family Convolvulaceae.

(3) Sometimes bindweed refers to the South American Ipomoea of the family Convolvulaceae, as well as to the black bindweed (Polygonum convolvulus) of the family Polygonaceae. The black bindweed is a twining annual weed with small plain greenish flowers.

T. V. EGOROVA

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

bindweed

1. any convolvulaceous plant of the genera Convolvulus and Calystegia that twines around a support

2. any of various other trailing or twining plants, such as black bindweed

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005