Pinkflower Bindweed: What You Need to Know About This Hawaiian Introduction
If you’ve stumbled across the name pinkflower bindweed (Convolvulus erubescens) in your gardening research, you might be wondering whether this perennial herb deserves a spot in your landscape. Let’s dive into what we know about this lesser-known member of the morning glory family and whether it’s the right choice for your garden.
What Is Pinkflower Bindweed?
Pinkflower bindweed is a perennial forb—essentially a non-woody plant that comes back year after year. Like other members of the bindweed family, it’s a vascular plant that lacks the significant woody growth you’d see in shrubs or trees. Instead, it maintains its perennating buds at or below ground level, allowing it to regrow each growing season.
Where Does It Grow?
Currently, Convolvulus erubescens is documented as growing in Hawaii, where it has established itself as a non-native species. This means it wasn’t originally found in Hawaiian ecosystems but has been introduced and now reproduces on its own in the wild without human assistance.
The Native Plant Perspective
Here’s where things get interesting from a native gardening standpoint. While pinkflower bindweed has managed to establish itself in Hawaii, its status as a non-native introduction raises some important considerations for environmentally conscious gardeners.
When we choose plants for our landscapes, native species typically offer the most benefits to local ecosystems. They’ve evolved alongside local wildlife, providing food and habitat that non-native plants often can’t match. Native plants also tend to be better adapted to local growing conditions, requiring less water, fertilizer, and pest management.
Should You Plant Pinkflower Bindweed?
Given the limited information available about this species’ specific growing requirements, aesthetic qualities, and potential impacts, it’s challenging to make a strong recommendation either way. However, there are some factors to consider:
- Limited horticultural information makes it difficult to predict how it will perform in your garden
- As a non-native species, it may not provide the ecosystem benefits that native alternatives would offer
- Its ability to establish and persist in the wild suggests it could potentially spread beyond intended garden areas
Better Alternatives for Your Garden
If you’re drawn to bindweed-type plants or morning glory family members, consider exploring native alternatives in your region. Many areas have indigenous vines or trailing plants that offer similar aesthetic appeal while supporting local wildlife and requiring less maintenance.
For Hawaiian gardeners specifically, native ground covers and trailing plants like naupaka (Scaevola taccada) or native morning glories might provide the coverage and visual interest you’re seeking while supporting local ecosystems.
The Bottom Line
While pinkflower bindweed isn’t necessarily a bad plant, the lack of detailed horticultural information combined with its non-native status suggests that most gardeners would be better served by choosing well-documented native alternatives. These alternatives are more likely to thrive in your local conditions while providing meaningful benefits to local wildlife and ecosystems.
If you do encounter this plant growing wild in Hawaii, you can appreciate it as part of the complex tapestry of introduced species that now call the islands home—just remember that when planning your own landscape, native plants are usually the more sustainable and ecologically beneficial choice.
