large bindweed

Large bindweed is a glabrous herbaceous perennial that twines in a counter-clockwise direction to a height of up to 5 m. The leaves are arranged alternately on the spiralling stem on petioles up to 15 cm. The leaves are dull green above and paler below, simple and sagittate (arrowhead shaped), up to 15 cm long and up to 9 cm wide. The flowers are white, sometimes narrowly pink on the outside only, produced from late spring to the end of summer (between July and September in northern Europe). The buds are enclosed by large (4.8 cm long), ovate, green bracteoles pouched at the base; during anthesis they strongly overlap. The open flowers are trumpet-shaped and 6–9 cm diameter. After flowering, the fruit develops as an almost spherical capsule, which is hidden by the bracts. It is 1 cm in diameter, containing two to four large, dark brown or black seeds that are shaped like quartered oranges.