General Description | A fast growing, 6 m, vigorous, deciduous twining vine which engulfs every fence in sight. |
ID Characteristic | A fast growing climbing vine with lustrous dark green leaves and yellow orange fruit that is often used for dried flower arrangements. |
Shape | Climbing vine |
Landscape | May scramble over rock piles, fences and old trees. The fruit is often used in arrangements. |
Propagation | Seeds have a dormant embryo and require after-ripening for germination; there is some evidence that the seed coat may have an inhibiting effect upon germination. Seeds or dried fruits should be stratified in moist sand for 2-6 months at 5°C. Root cuttings collected in the autumn and cut into 50 mm lengths and insert vertically into pots or flats barley covering the top. Water and place in a cold frame until growth appears and then pot individually. |
Pests | Diseases include; leaf spots, powdery mildews, crown gall, stem canker, Euonumus scale, aphids and two-marked treehopper. |
Notable Specimens | Joany’s Woods, West Williams, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. |
Habitat | Canada to South Dakota and New Mexico. |
Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Buds are brown, small, sessile, solitary, sub-globose and with about 6 hard mucronate scales. |
Leaf Description | Leaves are lustrous dark green, glabrous, serrulate and have a broad cuneate at its base. Leaves are 4-8 cm in length. |
Flower Description | Flowers are Polygamo-dioecious but primarily dioecious. They are a yellowish white colour and borne 4-8 cm long. |
Fruit Description | Fruit is a three-lobed capsule with a yellow orange colour and crimson seeds on the inside. It is extensively collected and sold for dried flower arrangements. |
Colour Description | Leaves are a deep glossy green in the summer and a greenish yellow in autumn. |
Texture Description | Medium in leaf and medium coarse texture in the winter. |