Woody Vines1

Cold Pests / Diseases & Flowers / Fruit / Additional Name2 Hardiness Soil / Climate Size4 Exposure Other Problems Foliage Features Zones3

Celastrus 2A-8B Adaptable; will grow Aphids, powdery mildew, H: 20-35’ Full sun to Flowers – greenish white, Native to eastern and scandens on just about any soil, and scale are most S: Variable partial shade; insignificant, in terminal central North America regardless of pH common, but are rarely fruits best in clusters (panicles); male including Minnesota; (acidic or alkaline), so serious. full sun. and female flowers typically has a single American long as it is well- produced on separate trunk; grows as a rambling Bittersweet Young stems are drained. plants (dioecious; or climbing vine and can sometimes eaten by Drought tolerant once rabbits. individual plants male or reach heights up to 65 feet; female; insect pollinated. the species is propagated established. Bloom Time – spring by seed and the cultivars Celastraceae (May/June). by stem cuttings. Bittersweet Family American bittersweet plants are generally dioecious (individual plants are male or female) and Summer Foliage – Bittersweet fruits are only female plants produce fruits; as a result, people that have male plants are disappointed by medium green; leaves poisonous to humans, but the lack of fruits; in addition, female plants planted in areas where male plants are uncommon alternate, toothed, are eaten by birds. or nonexistent also produce few if any fruits; several cultivated varieties that are known to be elliptical with narrow, Climbs by twining stems male (e.g., ‘Hercules’ and ‘Indian Brave’) or female (e.g., ‘Diana’ and ‘Indian Maid’) are pointed tips. that twine from left to right commercially available; recently, monecious plants (plants that produce both male and female Fall Color – yellow. (clockwise). flowers) have been identified and several cultivars of this type are now commercially available and each plant is capable of producing fruits; examples of monecious cultivars include Fruit – a spherical, 3- ’Bailumn’ (Autumn RevolutionTM) and ‘Swtazam’ (Sweet Tangerine®). celled capsule; green, becoming yellow to orange; matures in fall (September/October).

Clematis spp. 2A-8B Generally prefer cool, Few; powdery mildew H: 5-20’ Full sun to Flowers – small to large, Primarily native to moist, but well- and aphids can sometimes S: Variable partial shade. showy, white, pink, blue, temperate regions of the Clematis drained soils with a be problematic, clematis purple, or red, solitary or Northern Hemisphere neutral or slightly wilt is the most serious. in clusters (panicles); including North America acidic or alkaline pH; sometimes fragrant; insect and Minnesota; the genus mulching helps keep pollinated. Clematis includes shrubby

the soil moist and the Bloom Time – summer or vining species that are Ranunculaceae roots cool. woody, semi-woody or Buttercup Family (June-August); some species continue to bloom herbaceous; some species until frost. only bloom on the previous season’s growth (old Summer Foliage – dark, wood) and will not bloom medium, or bluish-green, if pruned excessively or lighter beneath; leaves top-killed during the opposite, simple or winter; the species that compound with three bloom on new wood are leaflets, variously toothed. often pruned back hard in Several species of Clematis are native to Minnesota including Clematis occidentalis (purple clematis; Fall Color – poor if any the spring; the species are flowers solitary, bluish-purple, on the previous season’s growth in May/June) and Clematis virginiana (mottled yellow at best). propagated by seed, (virgin’s bower, old man’s beard); flowers small, white, in open panicles on current season’s growth in cuttings, and layers and the July/August; a favorite of bees); several introduced species and many hybrids are commonly planted in Fruit – an achene with a feathery appendage; green, cultivars by cuttings and Minnesota landscapes; Clematis jackmanii (Jackman clematis) is one of the most popular varieties. becoming yellow to layers. orange; matures in fall Climb by clasping petioles (September/October). (leaf stalks).

Lonicera spp. 3A-7A Fairly adaptable; Few pests; powdery H: 8-16’ Full sun to Flowers – tubular, white, Native to the Northern prefer moist, well- mildew and aphids are the S: Variable partial shade. yellow, orange, red, or Hemisphere including Honeysuckle Vine drained soils, acidic or most common, but usually bicolored in small terminal North America including alkaline. aren’t serious. clusters; fragrant; insect Minnesota; typically have pollinated. a single trunk; form is typically upright oval to Bloom Time – spring to summer (May-July) with rounded; the bark tends to Caprifoliaceae exfoliate in vertical strips Honeysuckle some species continuing to bloom until frost. on older stems; some Family species can grow to 30 feet Summer Foliage – green or more; the flowers are to bluish-green, silvery- attractive to humming green beneath; leaves birds and other pollinators Species native to Minnesota include Lonicera dioica (wild honeysuckle, limber honeysuckle; flowers opposite and broadly and the berries are eaten by yellow to reddish-purple in May/June; fruits orange-red in July/August), Lonicera hirsuta (hairy elliptical or fused at the birds; the species are honeysuckle; flowers yellow in June/July; fruits red in August/September), and Lonicera reticulata bases to encircle the stem propagated by seed and the (synonym Lonicera prolifera; grape honeysuckle; flowers pale yellow in May/June; fruits red in July/ near the tips of flowering cultivars by stem cuttings. shoots. August); Lonicera × brownii ‘Dropmore Scarlet’ (‘Dropmore Scarlet’ Brown’s honeysuckle; flowers Climb by twining stems scarlet; sterile so no fruits are produced) is the most common non-native species planted in Minnesota. Fall Color – sometimes that twine right to left yellow, but generally poor. (counterclockwise). Fruit – a berry; green, becoming orange or red; matures in summer/fall (July-September).

Parthenocissus 2A-9B Very adaptable; Susceptible to a variety of H: 30-50’ Full sun to Flowers – small, Native to North America quinquefolia prefers moist, well- disease and insect pests, S: Variable heavy shade. yellowish-green, including southeastern drained soils, but will but none are typically insignificant, in branched Minnesota; typically has a grow on just about any serious. clusters (cymes); insect single stem and creeps Virginia Creeper soil, regardless of pH pollinated. over the ground rooting at (acidic to alkaline), so the nodes and climbing Bloom Time – summer long as it is well- (June/July). whatever it encounters; can drained. reach heights greater than Vitaaceae Summer Foliage – Quite drought tolerant 50 feet; the variety Grape Family medium to dark green; once established. engelmannii (Engelmann leaves alternate, palmately ivy) has smaller leaflets; Generally tolerant of compound with five the berries are eaten by urban conditions. leaflets; leaflets toothed. birds; the species is Fall Color – red to propagated by seed and reddish-purple; the fruit stem cuttings and the stalks also turn red in the cultivars by stem cuttings. Parthenocissus vitacea (synonym Parthenocissus inserta; woodbine, thicket creeper) looks very similar fall. Climbs by branched to Virginia creeper and is also native to Minnesota (statewide), but is rarely sold as a landscape plant. Fruit – a berry; green, tendrils with crescent- becoming violet-blue; shaped, terminal holdfasts matures in fall and aerial roots; clings (September). loosely to supports.

Parthenocissus 4B-8B Very adaptable; Susceptible to a variety of H: 30-50’ Full sun to Flowers – small, greenish- Native to eastern Asia tricuspidata prefers moist, well- disease and insect pests, S: Variable shade. white, inconspicuous in (China, Korea, and Japan); drained, but will grow but none are typically branched clusters (cymes); typically has a single trunk on just about any soil, serious. insect pollinated. and creeps over the ground Boston Ivy regardless of pH Bloom Time – late spring/ rooting at the nodes and Japanese Creeper (acidic to alkaline), so summer (June/July). climbs whatever it long as it is well- encounters; can reach drained. Summer Foliage – bright, heights greater than 50 glossy green; leaves feet; several cultivars have Tolerant of urban alternate, with variable conditions. been selected based on Vitaaceae shapes – heart-shaped with foliage characteristics; the large teeth, to distinctly 3- Grape Family berries are eaten by birds; lobed (maple-like and the species is propagated variously toothed; most by seed and stem cuttings common), to palmately and the cultivars by stem compound, toothed, with cuttings. three leaflets). Climbs by short, branched Note that Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) is not Fall Color – orange to tendrils with circular, as cold hardy as the native species of Parthenocissus and scarlet-red. suction cup-like, terminal also clings more tightly to walls and other supports. Fruit – a berry; green, holdfasts; clings tightly to becoming violet-blue; supports. matures in fall Performs best on north (September/October). facing walls in Minnesota; winter injury is more likely on south and west exposures.

Vitis riparia & 2A-6B Adaptable; prefer Variously susceptible to a H: 20-40’ Full sun to Flowers – small, greenish- The genus is native to spp. acidic, moist, but well- variety of diseases and S: Variable partial shade; yellow, inconspicuous, temperate regions of the drained, sandy or insects including powdery flowering and fragrant in elongated Northern Hemisphere sandy loam soils, but mildew, downy mildew, fruiting best clusters (panicles); male including North America Riverbank Grape will grow on most fruit rots, grape berry in full sun. and female flowers may be and Minnesota in only a and Table & Wine soils so long as they moth, grape phylloxera variously produced on the few counties in the Grapes are well-drained. (an aphid-like insect), and same plant (monecious) or southeastern corner of the

Quite drought tolerant leafhoppers; Japanese on separate plants state); typically has a beetle can also be a (dioecious; individual single trunk, but once established; not surprisingly, riverbank serious problem. plants male or female); sometimes has several Vitaceae grape tolerates short- Very sensitive to the wind and insect pollinated. stems, which can be quite Grape Family term flooding. herbicide 2,4-D which is large (up to 8 inches in commonly used to control Bloom Time – spring diameter); form is climbing broadleaf weeds in turf (May/June). or rambling; the fruits are (lawns); causes deformed Summer Foliage – green; eaten by birds and other leaves and aborted leaves alternate, heat- animals; the species are flowers. shaped, palmately 3 to 5- propagated by seed and the lobed, toothed. cultivars by stem cuttings. Fall Color – yellow. Climbs by forked tendrils Vitis riparia (riverbank grape, frost grape) and Vitis aestivalis (summer grape, silverleaf grape) are (modified leaves). native to Minnesota; riverbank grape is found throughout the state while summer grape is only found Fruit – a berry; green, in a few counties in the southeastern corner of the state; several introduced species and hybrids are becoming greenish-yellow grown commercially and in residential landscapes for their fruit which is variously eaten fresh or used to pink, red or dark blue to produce juice, jelly, or wine; the introduced species are typically not as hardy as riverbank grape, and often glaucous (with a but are variously hardy to Zones 3 and 4; examples of some of the cultivars (cultivated varieties) waxy coating or bloom grown in Minnesota include ‘Bluebell’, ‘Edelweiss’, Frontenac’, ‘Frontenac Gris’, ‘La Crescent’, that can be easily rubbed ‘Marquette’, ‘Marechal Foch’, and ‘Swenson Red’. off); borne in pendulous clusters; matures in summer/fall (August- September).

1 Woody Vines – vines can generally be defined as weak-stemmed climbing or trailing plants that require a support to grow upright; vines tend to have a single stem or only a few stems and their growth habit is partially defined by apical dominance wherein the main stem of the plant is dominant and grows more strongly or exclusively relative to the side branches; vines are very common in tropical rainforests and are also found in temperate forests where they climb into the tree canopy to access light; vines may be annuals or perennials, herbaceous or woody, and deciduous (plants that lose their leaves at the end of the growing season and produce new leaves each year) or evergreen (plants that retain green leaves throughout the year); this is a list of deciduous woody vines (all of the vines that found in Minnesota landscapes are deciduous and, therefore, lose all of their leaves at the end of the growing season each year); vines climb by a variety of means including twining stems, tendrils, and various types of holdfasts and understanding how a particular species climbs is helpful in providing the proper kind of support.

2 Name – Botanical and Common Name(s).

3 Cold Hardiness Zones – USDA Cold Hardiness Zones; Zone 1 / < 50°F, Zone 2 / -40 to -50°F, Zone 3 / -30 to -40°F, Zone 4 / -20 to -30°F, Zone 5 / -10 to -20°F, etc.

4 Size – H = Height; S = Spread (variable for vines depending on their orientation, whether they are rambling over the ground or growing on a support, and the nature of the support they are climbing).

Notes:

This is only a partial list (6) of the native and introduced woody vines that can be planted in Minnesota landscapes; a complete list would include over 12 species and quite a few cultivars (cultivated varieties).

The crown sizes listed represent a typical range for each species; individual vines may be bigger or smaller (primarily taller or shorter) depending on location and the resulting light and soil (fertility and moisture) conditions and cultivar; vines are most common in forest communities where they may be found in the interior or in forest openings or edges; like other plants, vines tend to be lankier under more shady conditions as a consequence of low light and stretching for light.

Remember that native plants, including woody vines, are an important part of native ecosystems and thereby serve as important an important food source for a variety of native insects, animals, and micro-organisms; and while these creatures may often be considered pests in designed landscapes, they, just like the plants themselves, are also important components of native ecosystems as food and ecosystem engineers.

Resources:

Dirr, M.A 1990. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation, and Use. Fourth Edition. Stipes Publishing Co., Champaign, IL

Dirr, M.A. 2011. Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs. Timber Press, Inc., Portland, OR.

Smith, W.R. 2008. Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota: The Complete Guide to Species I. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN.

Snyder, L.C. 2000. Trees and Shrubs for Northern Gardens (new and revised edition). Anderson Horticultural Library, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chanhassen, MN.

Talamy, D.W. 2007. Bringing Nature Home. Timber Press, Inc., Portland, OR.

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