Wild Convolvulus in my garden, question.

I have this growing in my garden, it seems to produce little round seed pods but no sign of flowers? (photo)

Jon

Here's a closer shot.

looks more like a type of air potato looks like how they produce babies ones doesnt look like seed pods.


Cinnamon vine maybe which is air potato

This message was edited Aug 25, 2009 11:09 PM

Imzadi thanks, had a dmail from Ron, he said "Dioscoreaceae" so air potato sounds a good id.
Had me fooled, LOL

Jon

i grow them so know what they look like even though mine up in the tree now hehe

Here's a link about my, soon to be destroyed air potato. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AG112
Definitely don't want it in my garden!

Jon

mine are in pots so far picking the tubers off while little has prevented spread so far. if they get out of control out they go

On fist moving into our house the garden had been neglected for about five years, just about every obnoxious
weed you can imagine had invaded, many of them unknown to me. Coming to live in a foreign country I have
to research nearly everything I see and find growing. Air potato I had not seen before, my garden was
smothered with it some as long as 30 feet! I was convinced it was a form of bindweed until you guys set me
straight. List of the worst:
Kudzu
Docudami
Air potato
Sweet potato
cooch gass
Oxalis by the thousand.

Many thanks,

Jon

Hi Jon,

I am right up there with you on the Kudzu and the Oxalis. We have that stuff all over East-Texas.

Another we have is Smilax rotundifolia that forms a tuber deep in the ground and is very hard to get rid of.

Emma

PS: Try to get rid of Nut Grass, which will make you "nuts"!
We finally figured that one out.

Emma, Smilax rotundifolia, horrid prickly thing! Glad I don't have that one.
Kudzu smothers everthing here, trees even big hills! Not safe to stand still for too long, LOL.
Oh! I forgot bamboo on my list, how could I forget bamboo!

Jon

Hi Jon . . .

Oh Yes!
We have Bamboo too!
Everywhere!

Emma

we have kudzu and yes its not a good idea to stand still long.

nutgrass Em oh my gosh i hate that stuff.

we have a ivy type thing with thorns though here. ouchy when touching to pull.

i dont know my bane of existence is wild blackberry vines. i fight them every year just to keep them in one spot so dont spread. i never knew they were such a nuisance

at least kudzu dont have thorns. dont have bamboo thankfully unless someone plants it

Hi

That is Dioscorea batatas, cinnamon vine.

Apparently it is good during the menopause as it contains hormones that are meant to be beneficial to combat mood swings; see here.

Each of those little tubers can grow into a new plant just like seed, people might be waving hands in the air to have some

I heard nut grass (Cyperus rotundus) is quite rampant in hot dry areas it must be a daily chore getting rid of that

http://www.naturalstandard.com/index-abstract.asp?create-abstract=/monographs/herbssupplements/wildyam.asp

It has been hypothesized that wild yam (Dioscorea villosa and other Dioscorea species) possesses dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)-like properties and acts as a precursor to human sex hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone. Based on this proposed mechanism, extracts of the plant have been used to treat dysmenorrhea, hot flashes, and headaches associated with menopause. However, these uses are based on a misconception that wild yam contains hormones or hormonal precursors, which is largely due to the historical fact that progesterone, androgens, and cortisone were chemically manufactured from Mexican wild yam in the 1960s. It is unlikely that this chemical conversion to progesterone occurs in the human body. The hormonal activity of some topical wild yam preparations has been attributed to adulteration with synthetic progesterone by manufacturers, although there is limited evidence in this area.

Rareseedman,

Thank you for the great information.

Rareseedsman, Wow that is really interesting. thank you! I have picked off all the little tubers and put them in the freezer overnight to destroy them!
Dioscorea batatas, Hmm, should be patatas! ^_^

Jon

Invasive vines are everywhere here in Florida. There are several growing in the vacant lots surrounding my property. I am constantly yanking them out of my yard! Ugh!

Becky, Florida is beginning to sound more and more like our climate here! WEEDS everywhere you look!
Too hot/humid to pull them. We have just had two cool days at just 78f and I have been weeding non stop!
Becoming hot and humid again by the weekend.

Jon

Jon - I don't know who wilts faster outside ... the plants or me! It's horrible right now. I garden very early morning (on weekends now) or very late afternoon/early evening. I wish it was about 15 degrees cooler with a gentle breeze! LOL! Japan does sound very much like Florida climate from everything you have mentioned. I should have excellent results growing out all the seeds I sent you! :-)

July and August overnight temps have been in the high 70s, soon as the suns up it soars into the 90s. Never seems to cool before midnight. I'm looking forward to October, Known as the month of cool in Japan.
Thinking of moving to Hokkiado Zone 3 BRRR!

Jon

Come to the UK average summer temp 15 cel and cloudy with about 2 intermittent weeks of 22 to 25 cel and the odd day to 30 cel followed by rain and wind.

No wonder people here are so miserable

That's one reason I left the UK and came to Japan, right now I'd give my high teeth for one of your cool nights!
OMG! I had forgotten just how awful the weather is there.