Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 3, 2026

Convolvulus

Convolvulus is a genus of about 200 to 250 species of flowering plants in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution; the Plants of the World Online database currently accepts 227 species and 12 natural hybrids. Common names include bindweed and morning glory; both are names shared with other closely related genera.

Last revised
Jun 3, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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Wikipedia ↗
Convolvulus
Convolvulus arvensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Convolvulaceae
Tribe: Convolvuleae
Genus: Convolvulus
L.
Type species
Convolvulus arvensis
L.
Species

List of Convolvulus species

Convolvulus is a genus of about 2001 to 25023 species of flowering plants in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae,4 with a cosmopolitan distribution; the Plants of the World Online database currently accepts 227 species and 12 natural hybrids.5 Common names include bindweed and morning glory; both are names shared with other closely related genera.

Taxonomy

The genus Calystegia, until recently widely accepted, has been shown to be genetically embedded within Convolvulus,6 and is now treated as a synonym of it by the Plants of the World Online database.5

Description

They are annual or perennial herbaceous vines; a few species are woody shrubs. They grow to heights of 0.3–4 m scrambling through ground vegetation, shrubs and trees; the shrubby species (e.g. C. cneorum) growing to 0.5 m tall with a woody base. The leaves are spirally arranged, and the flowers trumpet-shaped, mostly white or pink, but blue, violet, purple, or yellow in some species.7

Ecology

A bush with small leaves and thorns has Convolvulus vines growing up through and on top of it; these have broad green leaves and many white flowers with shallow trumpeting, a roughly pentagonal outline, and a small area of yellow in the centre around the filament.
Convolvulus leiocalycinus growing on another plant source ↗

Many of the species are invasive weeds; but others are cultivated for their attractive flowers, while some are globally threatened.

Convolvulus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including the convolvulus hawk moth, the sweet potato leaf miner (Bedellia somnulentella) and the gem; the leaf miner Bucculatrix cantabricella feeds exclusively on C. cantabricus.

References

References

  1. Carine, M. A. and L. Robba. (2010). Taxonomy and evolution of the Convolvulus sabatius complex (Convolvulaceae). Phytotaxa 14 1.
  2. Convolvulus. Flora of China.
  3. Convolvulus. The Jepson eFlora. 2013.
  4. Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. Webb's An Irish Flora. Cork University Press. ISBN 978-185918-4783
  5. "Convolvulus L." Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  6. Mitchell, Thomas C.; Williams, Bethany R. M.; Wood, John R. I.; Harris, David. J.; Scotland, Robert W.; Carine, Mark A. (2016). "How the temperate world was colonised by bindweeds: biogeography of the Convolvuleae (Convolvulaceae)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 16 (1): 1–12. doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0591-6. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 4719731. PMID 26787507.
  7. Thorogood, Chris (2016). Field guide to the wild flowers of the western Mediterranean. Richmond (Va.): Kew publishing Royal botanic gardens. pp. 412–414. ISBN 978-1-84246-616-2.
External links