Landscape Uses:
	Informal groundcover or low-climbing vine.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
Availability:
	Native plant nurseries. Available in Sanibel at the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation , in Miami at Pro Native Consulting , in Fort Myers at All Native Garden Center , in Groveland at Green Isle Gardens , in Lake Worth at Amelia's SmartyPlants and in Boynton Beach at Sustainscape .
Description:
	Low climbing herbaceous vine with extremely variable leaves.
Height:
	N/A; a vine with stems to 2 feet or more in length. Sometimes spreading horizontally and forming large open or dense patches.
Growth Rate:
	Fast.
Range:
	Monroe County Keys north to Duval, Lake and Dixie counties; West Indies, Texas, Mexico, Central America and South America.
Habitats:
	Moist forests and pinelands.
Soils:
	Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
	Moderate to low; it prefers soils with organic content, but will still grow reasonably well in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance:
	Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
	High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury.
Drought Tolerance:
	High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
	Light shade to full sun.
Flower Color:
	Greenish to yellowish.
Flower Characteristics:
	Semi-showy but small. Petals are absent.
Flowering Season:
	All year.
Fruit:
	Purple-black globose berry. Edible.
Wildlife and Ecology:
	Larval host plant for gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), julia (Dryas iulia) and zebra longwing (Heliconius charitonius) butterflies. Attracts bee pollinators.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from seed. Smash mature fruit on paper towel or place in blender with water and grind just enough to break up the berries; strain and place on paper towel. When dry, scrape seed onto surface of soil. Do not cover. Place containter in light shade.
Comments:
	One of the best larval host plants for butterflies.