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| A beautiful vine has appeared next to my pond in Central Texas. It's a great ground cover, that seems to be tolerant of this harsh environment. This is an area in which I have had no success growing things in the past (including some rather expensive native Texas grass seed).
I would like to propagate this further, and have even collected several ounces of seeds. However, before I proceed, I want to make sure I will not be creating more problems for myself by spreading an invasive species. Can someone help me to identify it? The plant does not appear to be English ivy, as its leaves are much narrower. In addition, the flowers and seeds of this plant are nothing like English ivy. For the last few weeks this plant has been producing small, yellow flowers that lead to the production of a seed pod that looks exactly like a string bean. The pods darken and eventually burst open when dry. On another forum, I was told it is not even any kind of ivy (Hedera) species. Here are some additional photos: http://s8.postimage.org/5g0r13nv9/ivy1.jpg
Any guesses? H |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by seedmoney 8A (seedmoney@embarqmail.com) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 17:12
| I believe you have Strophostyles umbellata, aka Pink Fuzzybean, a native American vine indigenous to most of the Southeast. Although blurry, your photo of the flower appears to have an upward facing keel, which is a distinguishing trait for this species. All parts of this plant are fuzzy, including the "beans". Although small, the flowers are very beautiful close-up. Blossoms start off magenta then fade to peach when they are pollinated, usually by long-tongued bees. FYI, it's also a host plant for the Long-tailed Skipper, Urbanus proteus. Vines are easy to grow, and will sprawl on the ground or clamber up supports.
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Here is a link that might be useful: Pink Fuzzybean
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- Posted by RetiredFlorida none (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 18:08
| I recognize that vine anywhere, very common and invasive here in Florida........Kudzu is the common name. Very hardy, hard to get rid of. If you need a vine that grows profusely this surely will do it for you. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Info on Kudzu
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- Posted by pyrrhuloxia (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 20:51
| I too am well familiar with kudzu. I posted a picture of this plant's flower above (http://s8.postimage.org/jnqfpr0k5/ivy2.jpg) and, fortunately, it's nothing like kudzu. Thanks though. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Flower
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| Pyrrhuloxia, that plant is one of the Strophostyle species, and is mostly likely S. helvula. S. leiosperma can be found in your area, but has flowers just 0.200 to 0.280 inch long and mature fruits 0.8 to 1.4 inch long. S. umbellata is mostly east of your area, and rarely has lobed leaflets. |
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| I made the mistake of letting Strophostyles grow in my native garden. It can be extremely rampant and once it gets a seed bank established in your soil, it is hard to get rid of as it comes up continually. Native, but very prolific. I read somewhere that native people likely ate the seeds...maybe I should pick up that practice! |
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