Androscoggin Valley SWCD
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Vines

Asiatic Bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus
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  • Perennial, deciduous, woody vine
  • Climbs high in the canopy, twining around mature plans and overtaking them
  • Characteristic yellow leaves and bright red seeds in fall and winter
  • Bright orange roots
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  • Spreads by seed via birds, small mammals, and discarded wreaths, and by new shoots and root-fragment regeneration
  • Native to Japan, China, and Korea
  • Introduced as an ornamental vine
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Management techniques:
  • Hand-pulling small plants and seedlings
  • Repetitive cutting of large vines over several years
  • Consistent mowing
Climbing Nightshade, Solanum dulcamara
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  • Perennial, herbaceous, climbing vine
  • Three leaflets with one large center leaflet and two smaller alternating leaflets at the end of each stem
  • Purple flowers and red berries, both poisonous to humans
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  • Spreads by seed dispersal via birds and by stem fragmentation
  • Native to Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, and Asia
  • Introduced as an ornamental vine
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Management techniques:
  • Hand-pulling vines 
  • Digging or excavating roots
  • Consistent mowing
Properly dispose of all discarded plant material
​
Black Swallowwort, Cynanchum louiseae
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  • Perennial, herbaceous, twining vine
  • Slender, green pods in fruiting season that look and function similarly to milkweed
  • Toxic to Monarch butterfly larvae
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  • Spreads by seed via wind and carried by animal fur, or by rhizomes in the soil
  • Native to Europe
  • Introduced as an ornamental vine
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Management techniques:
  • Dig roots before seed pods develop
  • Consistent mowing before pod production
Beware of sap (may cause skin reactions) and properly dispose of all discarded plant material!
Porcelain Berry, Ampelopsis glandulosa
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  • Deciduous, perennial, woody climbing vine
  • Small greenish yellow flowers cluster at leaf base
  • Speckled berries that range from turquoise to pink to purple
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  • Primarily spreads by seed via birds, but can produce new shoots through root fragments and occasionally suckers
  • Native to Eastern Russia, China, Korea, and Japan
  • Introduced as an ornamental vine
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Management techniques:
  • Hand-pulling small plants and seedlings
  • Repetitive cutting of larger vines during the growing season over several years
  • Consistent mowing
Hardy Kiwi, Actinidia arguta
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  • Woody, deciduous, climbing vine
  • Features small, smooth fruit that are entirely edible (and taste like Kiwi!)
  • White to pale green flowers during bloom
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  • Spreads vegetatively; roots can form from stem nodes that are in contact with soil (usually resulting in sprawling, lateral movement)
  • Native to East Asia and Siberia
  • Introduced as an ornamental vine
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Management techniques:
  • Hand-pulling vines 
  • Digging or excavating roots
  • Repetitive cutting of stems near the ground
Mile-a-Minute Vine, Persicaria perfoliata
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  • Vigorous herbaceous, annual vine
  • Fleshy, pea-sized fruit
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  • Spreads by seed via birds, other wildlife, and occasionally water
  • Native to India, China, Japan, and Eastern Asia
  • Introduced as a contaminant in imported nursery stock
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Not currently prevalent in Maine, but it has been discovered in nursery stock across the state. 

Want to report a siting? Visit the Maine DACF website here

Find Us At:

254 Goddard Rd
Lewiston, Me 04240

Contact Us:

Project Director, Emma Lorusso
(207) 241-5374

[email protected]
[email protected]

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  • About Us
    • History
    • Board Members
    • NRCS
    • Contact Us
    • Get Involved
  • Events
  • Education
  • Technical Services
    • Watershed Management
  • Resources
    • Native Plants >
      • Trees and Shrubs
      • Perennials and Wildflowers
      • Ferns, Vines and Covers
    • Invasive Plants >
      • Trees and Shrubs
      • Vines
      • Herbs and Grasses
    • Invasive Forest Pests
    • Water Quality and Aquatic Plants >
      • Managing Invasive Aquatic Plants
    • Conservation Practices for Homeowners
    • Newsletters + Reports
  • Sponsorship
  • Conservation Landscape Cert
  • Plant Sale
  • Products