Invasive vine ID - Ask Extension
Hi, can you help me with this ID? I found it strangling young trees in my orchard, sometimes reaching several trees with only one shoot. In the pictur...
Knowledgebase
Invasive vine ID #786194
Asked April 08, 2022, 12:02 PM EDT
Hi, can you help me with this ID? I found it strangling young trees in my orchard, sometimes reaching several trees with only one shoot. In the picture, I hold it towards the sky for clearer ID, my finger tips visible on the picture give an idea of the scale.
Thank you
Yannick
Prince George's County Maryland
Expert Response
Hello Yannick,
Unfortunately, there aren't enough identifying features on this sample to ID the plant yet. If you can wait to allow some of the stems to produce foliage, we can try again from additional photos. The fact that this vine seems to climb via tendrils (as opposed to other methods of climbing used by some vines) does narrow down the pool of candidate species a bit, but not enough. There are both native vines and invasive vines that can put on enough rampant growth to strangle trees, so that trait alone doesn't suggest a particular species. Although the plant's identity won't have much impact on your options for its removal, we're happy to take another look once it resumes growth for the season.
Miri
Unfortunately, there aren't enough identifying features on this sample to ID the plant yet. If you can wait to allow some of the stems to produce foliage, we can try again from additional photos. The fact that this vine seems to climb via tendrils (as opposed to other methods of climbing used by some vines) does narrow down the pool of candidate species a bit, but not enough. There are both native vines and invasive vines that can put on enough rampant growth to strangle trees, so that trait alone doesn't suggest a particular species. Although the plant's identity won't have much impact on your options for its removal, we're happy to take another look once it resumes growth for the season.
Miri
I understand Miri. I appreciate your answer, I learned a lot already!
Does the removal include cutting to the ground and painting the tip with herbicide?
You're welcome.
Yes, usually woody vine removal involves cutting down what you can and then treating the stump with a systemic herbicide. You can check the label on any herbicide you're considering using to verify it should function on the weed in question (once you know what it is) and for details about how to apply it (dilution, timing, re-application intervals, etc.). If you wish to do this herbicide-free, then you'll have to just keep vigilantly removing all regrowth you can find as soon as it appears until the root system exhausts its energy reserves and the plant stops resprouting. Any wild animals that may have dispersed the seed there in the first place could always re-introduce more, though, so it could be an ongoing effort to make sure it doesn't reappear in the future. At least at that point, plants will be young and much easier to deal with.
Miri
Yes, usually woody vine removal involves cutting down what you can and then treating the stump with a systemic herbicide. You can check the label on any herbicide you're considering using to verify it should function on the weed in question (once you know what it is) and for details about how to apply it (dilution, timing, re-application intervals, etc.). If you wish to do this herbicide-free, then you'll have to just keep vigilantly removing all regrowth you can find as soon as it appears until the root system exhausts its energy reserves and the plant stops resprouting. Any wild animals that may have dispersed the seed there in the first place could always re-introduce more, though, so it could be an ongoing effort to make sure it doesn't reappear in the future. At least at that point, plants will be young and much easier to deal with.
Miri
