FIELD MORNING GLORIES
Field morning glories, with their long trailing and twining stems, form a carpetlike ground cover in the open fields, roadsides and vacant lots of Southern California.
A member of the morning glory family, the plant is one of the most common weeds in the area. But it also is one of the prettiest.
A Eurasian immigrant, the field morning glory (Convolvulus arvensis) also is known as bindweed, field bindweed, possession vine and creeping Jenny.
Because of its deep roots, it is difficult to eradicate. Its root branches at various depths each represent a potential new plant. It is unwelcome in gardens because it strangles other plants.
Its weedlike qualities aside, the plant is lovely when growing in fields. Its flowers, ranging from creamy white to deep purple, provide a pleasant contrast to the brown grasses of summer.
The funnel-shaped flowers, which grow on single stalks, have five united petals and are about an inch wide. They bloom from May through October.
The plant’s green leaves are 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches wide. They generally are triangular, but sometimes are arrow-shaped or ovate. The plant reaches heights of one to three feet.
Pictured here are field morning glories growing in a field along Beardsley Road in Camarillo.
Other members of the morning glory family are trees, shrubs and herbs. In all, there are about 1,400 species of morning glory, occurring mostly in temperate and tropical regions. One distinguished member of the family is the sweet potato.
