Climbing Hempvine

Appearance

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.

Behavior

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, and the adult consumes the nectar.

Uses

This plant is cultivated as a cover crop and a livestock fodder. It is also grown as an ornamental plant and it is used in butterfly gardens.

It is used in traditional medicine systems of the Indian subcontinent as a treatment for gastric ulcers, wounds, and insect bites and stings.