General Landscape Uses:
Vine for butterfly gardens.
Availability:
Available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description: Perennial vine climbing or trailing with tendrils up to 15 feet. Small yellow-green flowers 1 inch wide. Black berries.
Dimensions: Vine with stems up to 15 feet in length.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Midwestern and southern United States south to Hernando and Lake counties.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Mesic hammocks.
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate to low; requires moist to wet soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color: Yellow green.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: Summer.
Fruit: Black berry.
Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), zebra heliconian (Heliconius charitonius) and zebra longwing (Heliconius charitonius tuckeri) butterflies.
References: Hall (
2020), Wunderlin and Hansen (
2011)
Comments: We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page.
