The
photo at right illustrates small sections of the viny stem of climbing bindweed
or wild buckwheat. Note the arrowhead-shaped leaf blades and the axillary
racemes of small, green flowers. Scanned from a sample in the webmaster's
garden in Gresham, OR.......mid-July, 2001.Other names for wild buckwheat are dullseed; cornbind; black bindweed; Climbing bindweed; knot bindweed; or ivy bindweed. It is a viny, climbing annual. The herbage ranges from smooth to very rough. The stems trail or may be somewhat erect and range from 30-100 cm long. The leaf blades are heart-shaped or arrowhead-shaped, ranging from 3-6 cm long and up to 3 cm wide.
The flowers are in terminal as well as axillary racemes or reduced panicles. The individual racemes are long, loose, and interrupted with several flowers per node. The sepals and petals of the flower are greenish with the floral parts numbering 5 each. The flowers range from 3.5-4.5 mm long with the outer 3 segments usually keeled or slightly winged.
Wild buckwheat is a weedy species of cultivated fields, gardens and other disturbed open places.
Wild buckwheat is a European species introduce to North America where is is common in Canada and the northern United States as a weedy specie.
In the Columbia River Gorge, it may be found between the elevations of 0'-100' west of Bonneville Dam.
