Natives For Your Neighborhood
Conservation of rare plants, animals, and ecosystems

General Landscape Uses: Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also butterfly gardens in wet brackish areas along the coast.

Ecological Restoration Notes: Most common in tidal marshes, where its occurrence is somewhat sporadic.

Availability: Grown by enthusiasts.

Description: Scrambling or twining vine with narrow leaves.

Dimensions: N/A; vine with stems to 10 feet or more in length.

Growth Rate: Moderate to fast.

Range: Southeastern United States west to Texas and south to the Monroe County Keys; West Indies, Mexico and Central America.

 Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.

 Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.

 Map of ZIP codes with habitat recommendations from the Monroe County Keys north to Martin and Charlotte counties.

Habitats: Tidal marshes, coastal thickets and marl prairies.

Soils: Wet to moist, poorly-drained to periodically inundated brackish or freshwater soils.

Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.

Salt Water Tolerance: Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water.

Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.

Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.

Light Requirements: Full sun.

Flower Color: Greenish-white.

Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.

Flowering Season: Spring-fall.

Fruit: Slender pod with wind dispersed seeds.

Wildlife and Ecology: Rarely a larval host plant for queen (Danaus gilippus) butterflies; a possible larval host for soldier (Danaus eresimus) butterflies. Nectar plant for butterflies and other insects.

Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed or cuttings.

Comments: The sap is white.