Convolvulus arvensis. Field Convolvulus. 



CONVOLVULUS Linnai Gen. PL Pentandria- Monogynia. 



Cor. campanulata, plicata. Stigm. 2. Caps. 2-locularis : loculis 



difpermis. 

 Raii Syn.Gen. 18. Herb^ frucTu sicco singulari flore monopetalo. 



CONVOLVULUS arvenfis foliisTagittatis utrinque acutis, pedunculis fubunifloris. Lin. Syft. Veget.p. 168. 



Sp, PL p. 218. F/or. Suecic. p. 64. 

 CONVOLVULUS foliis fagittatis, latefcentibus, petiolis unifloris, ftipulis remotis fagittatis. Haller. 



hi/}* heh. n. 664. 



CONVOLVULUS arvenfis. Scopoli PI Cam. n. 219. 



CONVOLVULUS minor arvenfis. Bauhin. pin. 294. 



CONVOLVULUS minor vulgaris. Parkin/on. 171. 



SMILAX lasvis minor. Gerard emac» 861. 



Rail Syn. p. 275, Small Bindweed. 

 Hudfon PL Angl. ed. 1. p. 74. ed. 2. p. 88. 

 Lightfoot PI. Scot. p. 140. 

 ' Oeder Fl. Dan. icon. 459. 



RADIX perennis, craffitudinis pennas coracis, teres, | ROOT perennial, the thicknefs of a crow quill, round, 

 albida, iadefcens, repens, vix extirpanda. | white, milky, creeping fo as fcarce to be 



I eradicated. 



Ci\ULES plurimi, tenues, tortuofi, procumbentes, | STALKS numerous, flender, twilled, procumbent, 

 ramofi, plantas vicinas contorquendo adfcen- | branched, twining round, and often fuffocating 



dentes et faepe fuffocantes. | the plants growing near them. 



FOLIA alterna, haftata, bevia, poftice acute hamata. | LEAVES alternate, haftate, fmooth, running out into 



I two points behind. 



PETIOLI foliis breviores, : inferne convexi, fuperne | LEAF-STALKS fhorter than the leaves, on the lower 

 canaliculati. I P art conve x, on the upper part channeled. 



PEDUNCULI uniflori, biflori aut triflori. | FLOWER-STALKS fupporting one, two, or three 



I flowers. 



CALYX: Perianthium quinquepartitum, mini- ? CALYX: a Perianthium deeply divided into five 

 mum, perfiftens, foliolis ovatis, obtufiufcu- | fegments, minute and permanent, the leaves 



lis fig. i. I ova ^- anc ^ fomewhat blunt, fig. 1. 



COROLLA' monopetala, campanulata, patens, plica- % COROLLA monopetalous, bell-fhaped, fpreading, 

 ta, albo et rubro eleganter pi&a, interdum | plaited, elegantly painted with red and white, 



penitus alba, fig. 2. % fometimes wholly white. 



STAMINA: Filament a quinque fubulata, alba, | STAMINA: five Filaments, tapering, white, about 

 Corolla dimidio breviora: Anthers fubfa- | half the length of the Corolla ; Anthers 



gittatge, albse,J%-. 3. % fomewhat arrow-fhaped, and white, fig. 3. 



PISTILLUM : Germen fubrotundum, glandula cine- | PISTILLUM : Germen roundifh, furrounded by a 

 turn: Stylus filiformis, Staminibus paulo | gland; Style filiform, a little longer than 



longior : Stigmata duo, oblonga, latiufcu- % the Stamina ; Stigmata two, oblong, and 



hi, fig. 4, 5, 6. I broadim./^. 4. 5. 6. _ 



PERICARPIUM: Capsula fubrotunda, mucronata. % SEED-VESSEL: a roundifh, pointed Capsule. 



SEMINA angulofa, fufca. * SEEDS angular, and brown. 



BEAUTIFUL as this plant appears to the eye, experience proves it to have a moil: pernicious tendency in 

 agriculture: the field of the flovenly farmer bears evident teftimony of this; nor is the garden wholly exempt 

 from its inroads. m .. . . 



The following experiment may ferve to mow what precaution is necefTary in the mtrodudtion of plants into a 

 garden, efpecially when we want them to grow in fome particular fituation. 



Tempted by the lively appearance which I had often obferved fome banks to affume, from being covered with 

 the bloflbms of this Convolvulus, I planted twelve feet of a bank, in my garden, which was about four feet in 

 height with fome roots of it : it was early in the fpring, and the feafon was remarkably dry, fo that I fcarce ex- 

 pected 'to fee them grow ; but a wet feafon coming on, loon convinced me that my apprehenfions were unnecenary, 

 for they quicklv covered the whole furface of the bank, to the almoft total extirpation of every other plant. It 

 being; a generally received opinion, that if a plant was cut down clofe to the ground, it would thereby be de- 

 itroyed, or at leaft very much weakened, I was determined to try the validity of this opinion by an experiment, 

 and accordingly, the whole of the Convolvulus was cut down fomewhat below the furface of the earth : m about a 

 month, the bank was covered with it thicker than before. I then had recourfe to a fecond cutting, and afterwards 

 to a third, but all thefe were infufficient ; for now at this prefent writing (Auguft) the bank is wholly covered 

 with it; nor do I expea to deftroy it, but by levelling the bank and deitroymg its roots. _ 



This experiment feems to determine a matter of no fmall confequence in agriculture, viz. that the cutting down 

 thefe plants which have creeping roots, rather tends to make them fpread farther than deftroy them; and that 

 nothing fhort of actual eradication, will effect the latter. 



It is feldom that this plant is highly prejudicial to meadows, or paftures ; but many fields of corn are every year 

 deftroyed by it, or rendered of little value. . . 



It flowers in June and July. The bloflbms vary confiderably in their colour, being fometimes quite white, 

 but mod commonly painted more or lefs, with a lively red. ; 



LiNNiELs's character of this plant, pedunculis unifloris, does not always hold good; the flower.ftalks being 

 freauently branched, and fupporting two or three flowers. ^ 



The leaves fometimes appear quite narrow, and the bloflbms have been obferved to be divided almoft to the bafe, 

 vid. Ray's Synopfis, ed. 3, p. 276. 



