How to identify bindweed vs morning glory

Bindweed and morning glory are both twining vines with funnel-shaped flowers that look nearly identical from a few feet away. The practical difference is enormous: morning glory is an annual that dies with frost and is easily managed; field bindweed is a deep-rooted perennial weed rated as one of.

Bindweed and morning glory are both twining vines with funnel-shaped flowers that look nearly identical from a few feet away. The practical difference is enormous: morning glory is an annual that dies with frost and is easily managed; field bindweed is a deep-rooted perennial weed rated as one of the 10 worst agricultural weeds in the world.

Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)

What field bindweed is

Convolvulus arvensis is a native European vine introduced to North America in the early 1700s and now present in all 50 states. Per UC IPM, it is one of the most difficult-to-control agricultural weeds because its root system extends 10–20 feet deep, with lateral roots spreading 15+ feet. No practical management eradicates the root system in a single season.

Identification

Leaves: Arrowhead-shaped (hastate) with two backward-pointing basal lobes (auricles). Per UC IPM, the leaf is typically 1–2.5 inches, longer than wide, with two distinct ear-like lobes at the base where the petiole meets the blade. This arrowhead leaf shape is the fastest field ID.

Stems: Twining, smooth, 1–3 feet long, creeping along the ground or climbing any available support.

Flowers: Funnel-shaped, 0.75–1.5 inches across, white to pale pink with faint stripes. The small flower size is a helpful separator from hedge bindweed's larger flowers and morning glory's much larger flowers. Per Penn State Extension, flowers open in morning and close in afternoon.

Root: A deep, fleshy taproot and a network of horizontal roots that can regenerate from fragments as small as 2 inches. Per UC IPM, every piece of root cut during cultivation becomes a potential new plant.