Fallopia scandens
Fallopia cilinodis
climbing bindweed, climbing false-buckwheat
fringe bindweed, fringe black bindweed
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, light brown, cylindric, 3–4 mm, margins oblique, base fringed with reflexed hairs and slender bristles, face glabrous or puberulent;
petiole 1–6 cm, retrorsely pubescent;
blade cordate-ovate, cordate-hastate, or cordate-sagittate, 2–6(–12) × 2–5(–10) cm, base cordate, margins wavy, often reddish-ciliate, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial face pilose-hispid, not minutely dotted, not glaucous, adaxial face glabrous.
axillary, erect or spreading, racemelike, 1–28 cm, axes scabrid;
peduncle 0.1–7 cm or absent, scabrid.
terminal and axillary, erect or spreading, paniclelike, 4–10(–15) cm, axes reddish-pilose;
peduncle 1–12 cm, retrorsely pubescent.
ascending or spreading to reflexed, articulated distally, 4–8 mm, glabrous.
ascending or spreading, articulated near middle or distally, 3–4 mm, glabrous or puberulent.
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, 4–7 per ocreate fascicle;
perianth nonaccrescent, greenish white to white, 1.5–2 mm including stipelike base, glabrous;
tepals elliptic, apex obtuse to acute, outer 3 obscurely keeled;
stamens 6–8;
filaments flattened proximally, pubescent proximally;
styles connate basally;
stigmas capitate.
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 or exserted, brownish black to black, 3–4 × 1.8–2.4 mm, shiny, smooth; fruiting perianth glabrous, wings absent.
= 20.
= 22.
Fallopia scandens
Fallopia cilinodis
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.)
Á. Löve and D. Löve (1982) reported a chromosome count of 2n = 20 for Fallopia cilinodis. All other counts summarized by J. P. Bailey and C. A. Stace (1992) and counts by M. H. Kim et al. (2000) are 2n = 22. It is not known if the 2n = 20 count is an error.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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