Oops, I haven’t posted for 2 weeks because I suddenly discovered that the pretty yellow flowers I had photographed and wanted to write about has a common name that denotes this plant as a weed. I was waiting for some input from a more experienced wild flower expert before I continued. A weed is defined as “a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially: one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weed. Now, here is my dilemma, do I consider it a weed, when it is growing on a rock in a woodland area (our portion is 6 hectares of a 35 hectare farm, not a cultivated garden), and has attractive flowers and unusual foliage? Is it going to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants? Well, there was very little else growing on that big flat rock. I did notice that the stems were twining around some of the veld grass nearby. 
This plant is not to be confused with the Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis ) which is a Category 1 Declared Weed/Invader. I think that if I notice it overrunning large areas of the bushveld, I may change my mind, but at this stage I am going to forge ahead and add this to the wild flower collection at Heatherton.
This perennial herb has twining stems up to 2m long with sessile, narrow, lance-shaped, alternate leaves with toothed ears at the base. This plant belongs to the convolvulus family – Convolvulacae and is also known as the Mini Morning Glory and may also be known as Merremia tridentata. It’s Zulu name is Ulonja. It can be found in grassland and open woodland as well as disturbed or cultivated land in the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and the North West provinces. A research study in 2011 revealed that root extracts of this plant have “significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, and it justifies the traditional use of this plant in the treatment of various types of pains and inflammation.”- International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The lemon yellow funnel shaped flowers are between 15-20mm in diameter which may darken to red or purple at the throat. The flowers consist of 5 broadly triangular lobes with 5 stamens. The flowering season is between November and March. 
The seed pod appears as a globose (spherical) capsule 4 – 9 mm in diameter and dries to a rusty brown. Once the papery valves are opened, the 4 glabrous (smooth or non-hairy) seeds are visible. These are 2 – 3 mm long, brown to black in colour.
A little whimsy: Briar Flamespider
She lights fires in the heart. She lives in leafy dells and bluebell glades. She can only be seen when the dry seed cases pop. She wears bluebell-blue dresses and has fiery orange butterfly wings.
HeatherTon Wild Flowers 
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