Hedge Bindweed, Calystegia Sepium

 

Day 300: You may hear people refer to this plant as "morning glory," and in fact, it used to be placed in Convolvulus alongside the Morning Glory of garden fame. Today, we know it as Calystegia sepium, referring to it commonly as Hedge Bindweed. It may also be called "Lady's Nightcap," although this appellation is used less frequently than it was a century ago. Modern English defines "nightcap" as an alcoholic drink taken before bed and, except in the literature of Dickens' era, rarely refers to headgear worn to protect the coiffure. The Latin translates to "a cup-like cover growing as a hedge," and for what it's worth, my mother used to tell me that they were faeries' skirts, a hypothesis which found some support in my much-loved copy of "The Flower Children" by Elizabeth Gordon, copyright 1910. Now considered a "Weed of Concern" in many Washington counties, Hedge Bindweed still has a certain romantic appeal to it. I wouldn't want it or any of its cousins in my yard, though.