Care of the climbing plant Convolvulus althaeoides or Mallow bindweed |
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The genus Convolvulus, family Convolvulaceae, includes 600 species of herbaceous climbing plants and shrubs with a cosmopolitan distribution. Some species are: Convolvulus althaeoides, Convolvulus canariensis, Convolvulus sabatius, Convolvulus cneorum, Convolvulus tricolor, Convolvulus sepium, Convolvulus floridus, Convolvulus mauritanicus. Common names: Mallow bindweed, Mallow-leaved bindweed. This species is native to the Mediterranean Basin. They are perennial climbing plants with herbaceous stems (woody at the base with age) that reach 3 meters (9.84 feet) in length. The alternate leaves are hastate or triangular in shape and are grayish-green in color. The showy bell-shaped flowers of 5 cm (1.96") in diameter can be white, pink or lilac. They bloom in summer. Mallow bindweed is used to cover slopes, in rockeries, to cover walls and fences (they need supports to climb) and in pots for patios and terraces. Convolvulus althaeoides needs full sun exposure and a warm or temperate climate. It resists frosts down to -10 ºC (14 ºF) but lose the aerial part that sprouts again in spring. Mallow-leaved bindweed grows in any light and very well drained soil, even in poor, dry and stony soil. Water moderately in summer, waiting until the substrate has completely dried; the rest of the year they are maintained with the rains. It resists drought very well. Mallow bindweed does not need fertilizer. Prune after flowering to control growth and expansion; it tends to become invasive plants. Convolvulus althaeoides is a resistant plant to the usual pests and diseases. Mallow bindweed is propagated from seeds sown in spring. |
Images of the climbing plant Convolvulus althaeoides or Mallow bindweed |
 Convolvulus althaeoides |