Wild Florida Vines

Page 1 2 3

Vines on this page - Sensitive Briar Puncture Weed Climbing Hempvine
Ocean Blue Morning-Glory Noyau Vine Bleeding Heart Vine Hairy Indigo White Twinevine  Air Potato Spurred Butterfly-pea Trumpet Honeysuckle

Catclaw Mimosa - Mimosa quadrivalvis L. var. floridana

Family - Fabaceae

Habitat - Sandhill, Scrub, Flatwoods

Description - Native, perennial, a trailing semi-woody vine to 4 feet or more with ribbed stems and small re-curved thorns. Bipinnate compound leaves fold closed when touched, hence the name Sensitive Briar.

Habitat - Sandhill, Scrub, Flatwoods.

Flower- Pink, 3/4 inch in diameter, with bright yellow tipped stamens.

Puncture Weed, Burr-nut - Tribulus cistoides

Family - Zygophyllaceae

Habitat - Sandy areas, disturbed sites, common roadside plant.

Description - Introduced. Perennial Vine, Sub-shrub, Forb, herb. Mat forming, 2-8 inches in height, leaves pinnately compound.

Flower - Yellow, 1 1/2-2 inches across, fruit is a spiny brown nut.

Climbing Hempvine - Mikania scandens

Family - Asteraceae

Habitat - Open areas of moist Flatwoods, Prairies

Description - Native low climbing or twining herbaceous vine. Leaves are opposite, cordate (heart shaped), acuminate to near 5 inches long.

Flower - Clusters of numerous white, rayless flowers.

Ocean Blue Morning-Glory - Ipomoea indica

Family - Convolvulaceae

Habitat - Coastal strand, coastal hammocks.

Description - Native Florida annual or perennial vine.

Flower - Deep blue to purple, funnel shaped to 3 1/2 inches wide.

Noyau vine, Alamo vine - Merremia dissecta

Family - Convolvulaceae

Habitat - Ruderal

Description - Native status of this plant is uncertain. Twining vine with hirsute stems, leaves are deeply palmately lobed.

Flower - 3-4 inch white tubular flower with reddish center

Bleeding Heart Vine - Clerodendrum thomsoniae

Family - Lamiaceae

Habitat - Ruderal, escapes from cultivation in the southern part of the state.

Description - Not native, introduced perennial twining vine to 20 feet or more in length. Leaves are alternate, ovate to slightly cordate with entire margins.

Flower - Clusters of flowers with crimson red petals, equal or slightly larger white or sometimes purplish sepals. Long protruding (exserted) stamens.

Hairy Indigo - Indigofera hirsuta

Family - Fabaceae

Habitat - Ruderal, Flatwoods

Description - Not Native, Introduced. Annual, prostrate or climbing to 36 inches in height. Leaves pinnately compound with elliptic leaflets.

Flower - Typical pea-like, pinkish-red flowers.

White Twinevine - Sarcostemma clausum

Family - Apocynaceae

Habitat - Hammocks, Coastal strand, shell mounds, ruderal

Description - Native perennial twining vine. Variable opposite leaves, ovate to lanceolate

Flower - Clusters of fragrant 1/2 inch white flowers having 5 hairy petals.

Air potato - Dioscorea bulbifera

Family - Dioscoreaceae

Habitat - Margins of forests, particularly in moist areas

Description - Introduced invasive twining vine, fast growing to 60 70 feet, covering and shading out native plants. Long stalked, cordate alternate leaves to 8 inches long with palmately arranged veins. Produces aerial tubers from leaf axils from which new plants develop.

Flower - Usually not present in Florida.

Spurred butterfly-pea - Centrosema virginianum

Family - Fabaceae

Habitat - Open areas of Hammocks, Wet Pinelands, Margins of Wet Prairies on moist sandy soils.

Description - Climbing, twining vine, grows to 6 feet or more in length, trifoliate leaves with lanceolate leaflets. The 1 inch or slightly larger flowers vary in color from lavender to white. Blooms from spring through fall. Fruit is a flattened pod.

Trumpet Honeysuckle, Coral Honeysuckle - Lonicera sempervirens

Family - Caprifoliaceae

Habitat - Open sunny areas of upland forests on well drained soils throughout Florida

Description - Native, woody, perennial twining or trailing vine, deciduous where freezes occur, otherwise evergreen. Leaves are elliptic, opposite, simple, with entire margins. Upper leaf surface is green and smooth, undersides appear whitish. Trumpet Honeysuckle has bright red, 2 inch tubular flowers are borne in terminal clusters and are very attractive to Butterflies & Hummingbirds. The fruit is a small (1/4 inch) red to orange berry which is a favorite of songbirds.

Florida Vine Galleries 1 2 3