FAMILY: VITACEAE

ALTERNATE COMMON NAME:

LEAVES: alternate, deciduous, palmately-lobed with 5 leaflets; long petioles, serrate margins

FLOWER: panicule of tiny flowers

FRUIT: panicules of 1/4” diameter, black to dark blue berries

TWIGS:

BARK:

FORM: high climbing vine; tendrils have adhesive disks

HABITAT: wide range of sites, dry to moist

WETLAND DESIGNATION: Facultative Upland (FACU): Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region

RANGE: southeast US

USES: many species of birds eat the seed

Best Recognition Features:

1. high climbing vine
2. alternate, palmately-compound leaves

NOTE: when young, don’t confuse with poison-ivy which has 3 leaflets, or red buckeye which is opposite branching and a small tree