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Bindweed Hedge

Hedge bindweed.

Calystegia sepium.

Windrush

 

The bane of gardeners and farmers alike, but in its natural setting we get a chance to admire its beauty.

The large creamy-white trumpet flowers with sepals half hidden by two large bracts adorn the summer hedgerows.

 

Its relative Large Bindweed (C. sylvatica) has flowers up to four inches across making it the largest native wildflower.

Apart from the flower size the two can be distinguished by the leaves which are more heart shaped on Hedge and more arrowhead on Large. Also the sepal bracts on Large are inflated and extend the length of the bud.

 

I imagine if this was a difficult flower to cultivate instead of an invasive weed with the ability to rejuvenate from every tiny piece of broken root rhizome then it would be a national treasure!

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Uploaded on September 3, 2014
Taken on August 31, 2014