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Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)

Field bindweed is a persistent weed of cultivated land across much of Australia, where it competes strongly for soil moisture and can reduce crop yields. Once established, it is difficult to eradicate because it regrows from extensive roots and rhizomes and has long-lived seeds.

Key facts

Type: Weed, vine and creeper.

Native to: Eurasia and northern Africa.

Established in: QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA, WA.

Other names: Common bindweed, Morning glory, Wild morning glory, Creeping Jenny.

Best time to act: Flowering occurs mainly from October to March, and seedlings and young plants are the most susceptible stage for herbicide treatment.

Identification

  • A perennial vine with trailing or twining stems that can form dense mats or climb over other vegetation.
  • Its slender stems are nearly hairless and narrowly winged.
  • The alternate leaves are variable in shape, often arrowhead-shaped with backward-pointing or sideways-pointing basal lobes.
  • White to pale pink, funnel-shaped flowers have five fused petals and usually grow singly or in small clusters.
  • Its roundish capsules turn brown when mature and contain two to four rough, brown to dark-coloured seeds.
  • Look-alike: Native Australian bindweed (Convolvulus erubescens) and small-flowered bindweed (Convolvulus microsepalus) resemble it but have smaller flowers.
  • Look-alike: Greater bindweed (Calystegia sepium) has larger flowers, usually white, and two large leafy bracts at the flower base, which field bindweed lacks.

Where it grows

In Australia it occurs in temperate and subtropical regions, especially cultivated land, transport corridors and disturbed urban and rural habitats.

Why it matters

  • It competes strongly for soil moisture and can significantly reduce agricultural harvest yields.
  • It can twine over crops, weigh them down and interfere with harvesting, and can kill establishing orchard trees and vineyard vines.
  • It may harbour pests and diseases that affect crops, and it invades native vegetation in riparian zones.
  • It has little or no feed value for stock and may cause vomiting; it is also suspected of causing intestinal problems in horses and pigs and photosensitisation in susceptible animals.

How it spreads

  • It spreads by seed and vegetatively from underground stems called rhizomes; an undisturbed plant can expand its radius by up to 10 metres in a year.
  • Most seeds fall near the parent plant, but water can move them farther.
  • Seeds and root or rhizome fragments can be spread through contaminated soil, machinery, fodder and grain, and seeds may also pass through animals.

Control options

  • Prevent introduction and spread, and manage established infestations to prevent seed production, kill roots and root buds, and limit new seedlings from the soil seed bank.
  • Seedlings and young plants are more susceptible to herbicides; established plants can regenerate from their extensive root systems.
  • Use registered herbicides as part of an integrated approach with tillage and competitive crops; repeated applications may be needed.
  • There are currently no registered biological control agents for field bindweed in Australia.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Clean machinery before moving between sites so soil and root or rhizome fragments are not carried to uninfested areas.
  • Avoid moving contaminated soil, fodder or grain, which can spread seeds.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Not a priority weed. Not a state or regional priority weed in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Regionally prohibited / regionally controlled / restricted weed (varies by region). Where it is regionally prohibited, landowners must take all reasonable steps to eradicate it on their land. Where it is regionally controlled, landowners must take all reasonable steps to prevent its growth and spread on their land. Where it is a restricted weed, trade in it (including the plant, its seed or contaminated material) is prohibited.
  • South Australia: Declared plant. Depending on the declaration, it can be an offence to move it on public roads or sell it, and landowners may be required to control it on their land.
  • Western Australia: Permitted, not declared. Listed as a permitted organism in WA, so it can be brought in, but it is not a declared pest.
  • Tasmania: Not declared. Not a declared weed in Tasmania. Other laws may still apply.
  • Northern Territory: Not declared. Not on the NT A to Z weed list, and Weeds Australia does not list it as declared in the NT. Check the NT declared weeds list before moving or planting it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Australian Capital Territory: Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT), administered by ACT Biosecurity
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources