It isn't Convolvulus cneorum. That looks totally different. Not least because it never has flowers any other colour than white. BTW, not all Convolvulus are vines, C cneorum being an example. And you were right when you said the flowers looked similar to a bindweed flower, but not when you said 'I'm sure it is no relation'. Evolvulus and Convolvulus are in the same family, Convolvulaceae, as is Ipomoea, Morning Glory. How about Evolvulus nuttallianus? Here is a link that might be useful: E nuttallianus

Cymbopogons are native grasses that are closely related to the Lemongrass that is used in Asian cooking, I have tasted a few different species, and they all taste bloody awful in my opinion (and smell like cats piss!!), but I have been told by a reliable source that it depends on the species and the growing conditions. I think these species have more potential as insect repellants than in any culinary use, as all the lemongrasses produce citronella. A lot of spices that come to us from other cultures have become part of a culinary tradition primarily because of their medicinal or practical qualities, I have been reading a lot about this in Indian cooking, the inclusion of things like asfoteida (or hing) in many indian lentil dishes is because of its digestive qualities, this is true of fennel seeds, ginger and many others. This is also true of the spicy liqueurs and appertifs of mostly european origins that we enjoy today simply for their flavour rather than their original intended purposes as digestive aids and remedies. I think that this is also true of the way Aboriginal people use plant material, so whilst I agree that they are probably not considered culinary spices, even by Aboriginal people, there are plants used in the preparation of food that have medicinal properties or are used simply for practical reasons (to keep food moist or to insulate it from the intense heat of a fire during slow cooking) and some of these impart some fairly distinctive flavours on the dish being prepared, and as such could also be considered culinary spices. I can imagine that todays use of the spice cinnamon evolved from a similar usage, but that is simpy specultion and the result of a wish to be able to grow my own cinnamon tree, peel some bark off and wrap it around a hunk of lamb and cook in some coals just to see what it tasted like ;-). mudlark

UPDATE: Even though the Ladybird Johnson wildflower center assured me this one was the "good" one, I decided to err on the side of caution and pulled it up today. I must say, for how small the plant was it already had a substantial tap root! I'll keep an eye on it and keep yanking in the future if necessary. Thank you for all the responses!!!

Yes, the stems run along the ground or wrap around surrounding vegetation. The leaves are much smaller than the photos suggest, with lengths about 1 inch, but the primary lobes are only about 1/8 inch wide. It is actually pretty easy to overlook, especially if the flowers aren't fully open.