Nomenclature

Species name :

Convolvulus althaeoides subsp. tenuissimus  (Sm.) Stace

Authority :

James Edward Smith, United Kingdom, (1759 - 1828) ;
Jules Aimé Battandier , France, (1848–1922)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Convolvulus elegantissimus Mill.

Synonym that was used for long in Malta: Convolvulus elegantissimus Miller

Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [WFO] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life] [Worldplants.de]

Plant Family :

Convolvulaceae  Juss.
(BindWeed Family)

English name(s) :

Silvery Mallow-Leaved BindWeed, Dissected Mallow-Leaved BindWeed

Maltese name(s) :

Leblieba tax-xagħri ċar, Leblieba tax-xagħri tal-werqa fiddenija

Status for Malta :

Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man

Name Derivation :

Convolvulus: from the Latin word convolvere, meaning to twine around, referring to the twining habit of the stem of most plants in this genus. (Latin origin); 2. from the Latin "convolvere", meaning to twine around, referring to its stem`s twining habit. (Latin);.
althaeoides subsp. tenuissimus: (); 2. Elegant, pretty - referring to the beautiful flower or the whole plant in general. (Latin).

Remarks :

Morphology and structure

Plant description and characters

Life Cycle:

Perennial.

Growth Form:

Hemicryptophyte (perennial herbaceous plants with vegetative buds close to the ground)

Habitat:

Arid rocky ground at field margins, derelict fields, rubble walls and waysides, footpaths, and disturbed ground close to agricultural areas.

Frequency:

Frequent

Localities in Malta:

Frequent in several places around the Maltese Islands such as at Dingli, Rabat, Siggiewi, Mellieha, Mistra, Wied il-Ghasel, Wied Babu etc.

Plant Height:

Prostate plant, only about 15cm high, but its stem can extend upwards along a vertical support up to 1m - 2m.

Flowering Period:

Mar-Jun

Protection in Malta:

Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025)

Red List 1989:

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Poison:

This perennial plant, produce prostrate stems with the ability to intertwine and coil so as to climb along with other upright objects, namely neighbouring plants. The stem is very thin and is silvery due to the presence of very fine, shiny, white hairs. It produces leaves and flowers at one side of the stem, the other side being the part resting on the ground.

The leaves are quite attractive in being symmetrically lobed and silvery-looking especially in sunlight. The leaf shape is generally heart-shaped in outline but it is so much lobed that this shape is somehow lost. The deepness of lobes vary. The older and basal leaves are unlobed or have shallow lobes and so the heart-shape structure can be observed. The leaves along the stem then gets gradually more lobed and the uppermost leaves consists of deep, very slender leaf lobes, looking like a few thin finger-like projections. The leaves lack stipules and have slender stalks of various lengths.

The flowers have long pedicels, longer than the leaves, probably to surpass and stand out from the leaves. They contain 5 small ovate sepals which persists during the fruit stage. The pink/lilac flowers are trumpet shaped (petals are fused), zygomorphic with 5 planes of symmetry. they are about 50mm in diameter. The flower have a characteristic white centre from which the 5 stamens and central pistil comes out. Each stamen consists of a white filament and an indigo anther. The pistil consists of a very small inferior ovary, a white style and a stigma, that is split into 2 parts.

The fruit is a spherical dehiscent capsule with a pointed tip. The capsule is about 8mm in diameter and green which turns reddish brown when getting ripe. It will split open and drop the 4 brown seeds (about 4mm in size) without any means of dispersion.

Information, uses and other details

Nomenclature and identification

There are at least two sub species of Convolvulus althaeoides, that are C. althaeoides subsp althaeoides and C. althaeoides subsp tenuissimus. The former is also referred to as Convolvulus althaeoides and the latter is referred to as Convolvulus elegantissimus. One important feature to distinguish the two (sub-)species is the centre part of the plant where the C. althaeoides has a darker centre (deep violet) from the rest of the corolla while C. elegantissimus have a whiter center. [300]

Nativity

This plant is native to the Mediterranean region including north Africa. [WWW-26]

Why it is difficult to extirpate the plant

Like many Convolvulus species, this plant is very difficult to get rid off and this is thanks to Its roots. Its roots run very deeply into the ground and extend over a large area. Furthermore the long roots are brittle and readily snap, and any part left in the ground will soon grow and send up shoots to the surface in a very short time. [WWW-03]

Personal Observations

Common habitants
While photographing these wild plants, many flowers had very small (perhaps less from 1 mm) bright-red insects which looked like mites. They are seen mostly at the very center of the flower and start running along the corolla when the flower is disturbed. Probably they can pass throgh the nectar holes of the flower to feed on the sugary nectar liquid. Click here for a photo of these insects on the flower [SM]

Perennial characteristic of the plant
Although this plant is seen for a couple of months during Spring / early Summer it is still described as a perennial, hence living all year round. This is due to the fact that the plant have living, underground, root-like rhizomes which remains 'dormant' during Autumn and Winter and shoots up when the climate rises to optimal temperature in Spring [SM]

Photo Gallery   (35 Images)

IMAGE: CNVEL-01

Photo of Flower . It has a lilac-pink colour, with a white centre.

IMAGE: CNVEL-02

Photo of Flower.

IMAGE: CNVEL-03

Photo of Flower.

IMAGE: CNVEL-04

Photo of several trumpet shaped flowers.

IMAGE: CNVEL-05

Photo of several flowers taken in May.

IMAGE: CNVEL-06

Close up photo of central part of flower. The white centre of the Convolvulus althaeoides subsp tenuissimus(= C. elegantissimus) is the distinctive feature from the C. althaeoides subsp. althaeoides ( = C. althaeoides) which have a darker violet centre.

IMAGE: CNVEL-07

Magnified photo of flower's centre. It has 5 stamens, a central 2-parted style and 5 small holes which lead to the nectar stores.

IMAGE: CNVEL-08

Magnified photo of flower's centre showing a common habitant of the plant - tiny red aphids.

IMAGE: CNVEL-09

Scanned image of flower against a dark background.

IMAGE: CNVEL-10

Scanned image of flower.

IMAGE: CNVEL-11

Scanned image of Calyx - made up of 5 small, overlapping sepals - and the red-maroon buds pleated in a cylindrical shape.

IMAGE: CNVEL-12

Annotated scanned image of flower reproductive organs. Few stamens and sepals have been removed.

IMAGE: CNVEL-13

Scanned image against a dark background of central part of flower. Although it appears to be 4, actually there are 5 stamens - one is exactly behind another making them appear as one stamen.

IMAGE: CNVEL-14

Scanned image of central part of flower.

IMAGE: CNVEL-15

Scanned image of the 5 stamens and style+stigma. The stamens consists of white filaments and contrasting indigo anthers whereas the style and stigma is white. The stigma is divided into two similar parts.

IMAGE: CNVEL-16

Photo of the lobed leaves in situ.

IMAGE: CNVEL-17

Photo of the lobed leaves in situ.

IMAGE: CNVEL-18

Different morphology of leaves (heterophylly) at various locations along the trailing stems. The basal leaves are shallowly lobed, forming a broad entire leaf with a cordate base. The lobes on the leaves further up the stem become more distinct and isolated as small leaf segments, with the division reaching the midrib or petiole.

IMAGE: CNVEL-19

Comparison of a basal (old) leaf and a leaf at the upper part of the stem, the former is broad and arrow shaped, the latter is deeply lobed.

IMAGE: CNVEL-20

Photo of plant(s).

IMAGE: CNVEL-21

Photo of several plants and their pink flowers.

IMAGE: CNVEL-22

Photo of plant in its natural habitat, hence creeping along stones in waysides.

IMAGE: CNVEL-23

Photo of plant along stones.

IMAGE: CNVEL-24

Photo of twining stem along a dried stem of another plant which serves as support for the Convolvulus to spread or climb up.

IMAGE: CNVEL-25

Scanned and annotated image of plant. Note that the leaves and flowers outgrows from one side of the stem (Unilateral outgrowths).

IMAGE: CNVEL-26

Scanned image of plant against a dark background to show better the silvery appearance of the leaves and stem due to their fine shiny hairs.

IMAGE: CNVEL-27

Scanned image of plant.

IMAGE: CNVEL-28

Dehiscent (open by splitting up) capsules which turn reddish brown especially if exposed to direct sunlight.

IMAGE: CNVEL-29

Transverse and longitudinal section through fruit capsules. As it is clearly shown, each fruit can hold 4 seeds.

IMAGE: CNVEL-30

Colour illustration of the plant taken from © 1995-2005 Missouri Botanical Garden..

IMAGE: CNVEL-31

Plant climbing and covering a rubble wall with numerous deep purple flowers.

IMAGE: CNVEL-32

Display of deep purple flowers on a plant (or more than one) covering a rubble wall.

IMAGE: CNVEL-33

Numerous flowers blooming in spring when the days get longer and warmer.

IMAGE: CNVEL-34

Close up of purple flowers and silvery leaves in between.

IMAGE: CNVEL-35

Close up of purple flowers with a white centre.

IMAGE: CNVEL-36

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