Mikania scandens
| Mikania scandens | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Mikania |
| Species: | M. scandens |
| Binomial name | |
|
Mikania scandens B.L.Rob. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Eupatorium scandens |
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Eupatorium scandens
Mikania angulosa
Mikania batatifolia
Willoughbya heterophylla
Mikania scandens is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, Asteraceae. Its common names include climbing hempvine, climbing hempweed, and louse-plaster. It is native to the eastern and central United States, its distribution extending into Tamaulipas in Mexico. Reports of its presence in Ontario in Canada are erroneous. It is an introduced and invasive species on many Pacific Islands and in parts of southern Asia.
This species is a perennial herb which grows as a branching vine. The leaves are oppositely arranged at swollen nodes on the stem. They have triangular or heart-shaped, sometimes toothed blades up to 15 centimeters long by 11 wide. The flower heads are clustered in panicles. The flower head is about half a centimeter long and is enclosed in narrow, sometimes purple-tinged phyllaries. The flowers are pinkish, purplish, or white. The fruit is a dark-colored, resinous achene about half a centimeter long, including its pappus of white or purplish bristles.
The pappus-tipped seeds are dispersed on the wind or on clothing or fur. The plant also reproduces vegetatively by rooting from the nodes on sections of stem. The climbing herbage can become weedy and dense, sometimes covering other vegetation. It also has allelopathic effects on other plants.
Its native habitat includes wooded areas and swamps.
This is a host plant for the larvae of the Little Metalmark (Calephelis virginiensis), and the adult consumes the nectar.
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Wikipedia