FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Look for twice divided compound leaves. Berries poisonous and look similar to grapes.
Synonym(s): Ampelopsis arborea, Ampelopsis bipinnata
Description: Deciduous, climbing, woody vine with few or no tendrils; sometimes bush-like or low-growing.
Leaves: Alternate, bi-pinnately compound and up to 15 cm long and wide. 1 to 3 pairs of leaflets ovate and coarsely toothed.
Flowers/Fruit: Inconspicuous greenish-white flowers in flat-topped clusters. Poisonous berries mature from green to pink to blue-black. Flowers June to October, fruiting soon after.
Habit and Range: Found predominantly in the Coastal Plain in a wide variety of moist to wet sites, wetlands and stream banks. Can be weedy, but rarely found in acidic wetlands (pocosins, bays, sandhill streams). Existing in non-native occurrences in Anson and Richmond counties.
COMMON CONFUSIONS:
Leaves of Nekemias arborea (peppervine) are similar to Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper), but Nekemias arborea has alternate, bi-pinnately compound leaves.
Click here to view Campsis radicans.
Link to side-by-side comparisons page
