Matelea gonocarpa from Susanne in SC

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This vine was at the base of a tree last year. I thought it was a pipevine. It died back over the winter; the flowers blooming now don’t look like pipevine flowers. I have another plant in the yard as well. I’m training it to circle the tree

Hi Susanne,

your plant is actually related to milkweed rather than to pipevine. I would call it Matelea gonocarpa. Sometimes these are called milkvines because of their relationship to milkweeds and their milky sap. Usually the vines die back to the ground in the winter, and sometimes they produce a pod similar to a milkweed pod.  It is a perennial, though. A nice native plant, in my opinion.

Sincerely,

Dr. Steven Hill, Botanist, SCNPS

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