212 WEEDS OF THE FARM AND GARDEN 



the roadsides ; scattered largely through commercial grain 

 seeds, morning glory seeds appearing as impurities. It 

 is also easily propagated by roots and again by the seeds 

 being scattered as the pods are blown over the snow; it 

 chokes out vegetation, preventing growth of grain, and 

 frequently hinders the corn from maturing; where com- 

 mon, may reduce the corn crop one- 

 half. It has even been suspected of 

 being poisonous. 



European Bindweed or Morning 

 Crlory (Convolvulus arvensis, L. ) . A 

 deep-rooting perennial with a twin- 

 ing or creeping stem, except where 

 there is no support, in which case 

 it trails on the ground; leaves from 

 one to two inches long, ovate, ob- 

 long, and arrow-shaped, the lobes at 

 the base running to a point ; flowers 

 borne in one-flowered peduncles 

 with very small bracts at some dis- 

 tance below the flower; flowers one 

 inch or less long, broadly funnel- 

 Fig. 136. Common shaped, white or frequently rose 

 hedge bindweed (Con- tinged; the plant propagates freely 

 by underground rootstocks. It was 



introduced originally as a garden plant, but has become 

 quite troublesome, the seeds having been widely distrib- 

 uted as impurities in commercial garden or clover seeds. 

 In corn fields it is especially annoying, because its twin- 

 ing habits enable it to choke out other crops. 



Dodder (Cuscuta.) Herbs of reddish color, probably 

 perennial, leafless except for the small scales on the 

 threadlike stems which twine around the plants on which 

 they live. Dodders pierce these plants or hosts by means 

 of small, short rootlets which are called suckers or haus- 

 toria; seeds very small, but contain enough nourishment 



