Copse bindweed

Description

Fallopia dumetorum, also known as copse bindweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae, native to temperate Eurasia. Fallopia is a genus of about 12 species of flowering plants in the buckwheat family, often included in a wider treatment of the related genus Polygonum in the past, and previously including Reynoutria. The genus is native to temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, but species have been introduced elsewhere. The genus includes species forming vines and shrubs. Species of Fallopia grow as vines, lianas, shrubs or subshrubs. Unlike species of the related genus Duma, they do not have thorn-like tips to their branches. Nectaries are present outside the flowers (extrafloral). Plants usually have bisexual flowers. More rarely they may be dioecious, each plant only having flowers with either functional stamens or a functional pistil. The flowers are arranged in a raceme. The tepals of the flowers are dry and paper-like when mature. The flowers have short styles with partially fused stigmas forming a "head". The fruits are achenes with three sharp edges.