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climbing bindweed, climbing false-buckwheat

Bukhara fleeceflower, Chinese bindweed, Chinese fleecevine, mile-a-minute vine, Russian vine, silver lace vine

Habit Herbs, perennial or annual, not rhizomatous, 1–5 m. Stems scandent or sprawling, freely branched, herbaceous, glabrous or papillose to scabrid, not glaucous.
Leaves

ocrea usually deciduous, tan or brown, cylindric to funnelform, 1–6 mm, margins oblique, face not fringed with reflexed hairs and slender bristles at base, otherwise glabrous or scabrid;

petiole 0.5–10 cm, glabrous or scabrid in lines;

blade cordate, truncate-deltate, or hastate, 2–14 × 2–7 cm, base cordate, margins wavy, scabrid, apex acuminate, abaxially and adaxially faces glabrous or papillose to scabrid, not glaucous, the abaxial rarely minutely dotted.

ocrea usually deciduous, hyaline or brownish, cylindric, 3–8 mm, margins truncate to oblique, face glabrous throughout;

petiole 1–4 cm, glabrous or scabrid;

blade narrowly ovate to ovate-oblong, 3–10 × 1–5 cm, base subcordate or cordate to sagittate, margins entire or wavy, glabrous or scabrid, apex obtuse to acuminate, abaxial face glabrous or scabrid along midvein, rarely minutely dotted, not glaucous, adaxial face glabrous.

Inflorescences

axillary, erect or spreading, racemelike, 1–28 cm, axes scabrid;

peduncle 0.1–7 cm or absent, scabrid.

axillary and terminal, spreading or drooping, paniclelike, 3–15 cm, axes glabrous or papillate to scabrid in lines;

peduncle 1–3 cm, glabrous or scabrid.

Pedicels

ascending or spreading to reflexed, articulated distally, 4–8 mm, glabrous.

ascending or spreading, articulated proximal to middle, 1.5–4 mm, glabrous or scabrid.

Flowers

bisexual, 3–6 per ocreate fascicle;

perianth accrescent in fruit, green to white or pinkish, 3.8–8 mm including stipelike base, glabrous;

tepals elliptic to obovate, apex obtuse to acute, outer 3 winged;

stamens 8;

filaments flattened proximally, pubescent proximally;

styles connate;

stigmas capitate.

bisexual, 3–6 per ocreate fascicle;

perianth accrescent in fruit, greenish white with white wings or mostly pink, sometimes bright pink in fruit, 5–8 mm including stipelike base, glabrous;

tepals elliptic, apex obtuse to rounded, outer 3 winged;

stamens 6–8;

filaments flattened proximally, pubescent proximally;

styles connate basally;

stigmas peltate.

Achenes

included, dark brown to black, 2–6 × 1.4–3.5 mm, shiny, smooth; fruiting perianth glabrous, wings undulate or crinkled, rarely flat, (0.7–)1.5–2.1 mm wide, decurrent on stipelike base nearly to articulation, margins wavy-crenate to incised or lacerate, rarely entire.

included, dark brown to black, 2–4 × 1.8–2.2 mm, shiny, smooth; fruiting perianth glabrous, wings flat to undulate, 2–4 mm wide at maturity, decurrent on stipelike base nearly to articulation, margins entire.

Vines

, perennial, not rhizomatous, 3–10 m. Stems climbing, branched from near base, woody, glabrous, not glaucous.

2n

= 20.

= 20 (Korea).

Fallopia scandens

Fallopia baldschuanica

Phenology Flowering Aug–Nov. Flowering Aug–Sep.
Habitat Low habitats Disturbed sites
Elevation 0-1800 m (0-5900 ft) 0-1600 m (0-5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; WY; AB; MB; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; MA; MD; MI; NJ; NM; NY; PA; UT; VA; WA; c Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced in Central America (Costa Rica), Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Fallopia scandens has a complex nomenclatural history, which in North America usually involves three taxonomic elements: F. scandens and F. cristata, both native in North America, and F. dumetorum, which is native in Europe. Achene and perianth characters have been used to distinguish these elements, but variable and intergrading morphologies have caused taxonomists to combine them variously. Morphometric (S. T. Kim et al. 2000) and flavonoid (M. H. Kim et al. 2000) studies suggest that F. scandens and F. dumetorum are distinct species. Where F. scandens is absent, European specimens of F. dumetorum are distinctive. This distinction is far less clear in North America, where both species occur. Experience suggests that many North American herbarium specimens attributed to F. dumetorum are misidentified.

Fallopia cristata has been distinguished from F. scandens and F. dumetorum by its smaller fruiting perianths (5–7[–9] mm) bearing narrower (1.2–1.7 mm wide), undulate-crenate or lacerate wings, and smaller achenes (2.1–2.7 mm). Extreme forms are easily identified; some specimens grade gradually into F. scandens, making recognition of F. cristata of questionable utility. S. T. Kim et al. (2000) used morphometric studies as a basis for recommending that F. cristata is best treated as a variety of F. scandens.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Fallopia baldschuanica is cultivated as a trellis and garden plant; it escapes infrequently in the flora area. Plants with white or greenish white flowers and papillate or scabrid inflorescence axes have been recognized as F. aubertii.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 545. FNA vol. 5, p. 544.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Fallopia Polygonaceae > subfam. Polygonoideae > Fallopia
Sibling taxa
F. baldschuanica, F. cilinodis, F. convolvulus, F. dumetorum, F. japonica, F. sachalinensis, F. ×bohemica
F. cilinodis, F. convolvulus, F. dumetorum, F. japonica, F. sachalinensis, F. scandens, F. ×bohemica
Synonyms Polygonum scandens, Bilderdykia cristata, Bilderdykia scandens, Bilderdykia scandens var. cristata, F. cristata, Polygonum cristatum, Polygonum dumetorum var. scandens, Polygonum scandens var. cristatum, Reynoutria scandens, Reynoutria scandens var. cristata, Tiniaria cristata, Tiniaria scandens Polygonum baldschuanicum, Bilderdykia aubertii, Bilderdykia baldschuanica, F. aubertii, Polygonum aubertii, Reynoutria baldschuanica
Name authority (Linnaeus) Holub: Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 6: 176. (1971) (Regel) Holub: Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 6: 176. (1971)
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