Περιπλοκάιν, Περικλοκάδιν, Κονβόλβουλος ο αγροτικός
Etymology of Convolvulus arvensis: "Convolvulus" comes from the Latin verb "convolvo", which means "interweave" or "roll together, up or around; coil", because it binds itself and winds itself around the stems and leaves of everything in its path and if nothing is in its path, it winds around itself. "Avensis" is Latin and it means "of the field" and it refers to its habitat.
There have been at least 11 Convolvulus kinds (ten species and a hybrid) identified so far in Cyprus.
Convolvulus arvensis is a popular Convolvulus species in Cyprus. Surprisingly it does not appear in the Akamas region. It can be found at an altitude of up to 1700 metres. The flowering period for the Convolvulus arvensis is between April and September.
Convolvulus is a wiry-rooted weed with attractive white, pinkish-white, or pink gramophone-shaped flowers. It can never be completely dug out owing to its Bermuda-like rhizomes and oxalis-like taproot. In addition, its seeds remain viable for more than 20 years.
In the Kykkos Monastery garden, we encounter another variety of Convolvulus arvensis (photo), the one with pink and white colour. This is probably not encountered anywhere else and must have reached the island accidentally, I assume the garden's roses are imported into their soil was this plant, which is now multiplying in the garden.
How to identify Convolvulus arvensis:
It is a climbing or trailing herb, not erect or suberect herb or subshrub, and its rootstock is usually not woody. These characteristics appear only for Convolvulus althaeoides, Convolvulus lineatus, Convolvulus betonicifolius and Convolvulus arvensis.
From these three, only Convolvulus betonicifolius and Convolvulus arvensis have cordate/hastate leaves, both for the white flower and the pink-white flower varieties. Their differences are mainly the fact that Convolvulus betonicifolius has a small pink circle on its white corolla, and it is hairy plant or distinctly pubescent, while arvensis is glabrous or very sparsely pubescent.
