In many respects this perennial wildflower is very similar to its cousin, Hedge Bindweed, but the main difference is in the size of the flower. In this species, the white, funnel-shaped flower is up to 9 cm across, whereas Hedge Bindweed's flowers only measure up to 4 cm. (These flowers all have five joined or fused petals). Also, if you look at the epicalyx bracts below the inflorescence, they almost completely conceal the sepals in this species; in the case of Hedge Bindweed, these bracts do not overlap at all, the sepals being clearly visible. Flowering from June to September, Large Bindweed grows by twining and scrambling its way over hedges and other plants, climbing up to as high as 4 m, often on waste ground. Its leaves are long and arrow-shaped. Thought to have twined its way to our shores from southern Europe, it has become naturalised throughout most of Ireland. It belongs to the Convolvulaceae family.
I first recorded this plant at Killiney, Co Dublin in 1978 and photographed it in the same spot in 2010.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
