A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 problematic vine

We have this vine that keeps showing up in our hedges and flower beds. It almost looks like some kind of ivy: medium to pale green, soft and kind of fuzzy, club-like leaves (you know, like in a deck of cards-club). I'm not sure if it has any kind of berries, pods, or seeds; and I have never seen it flower. It has very deep, aggressive roots that can grow through most types of anit-weed materials. It climbs by wrapping itself around other plants.
We have to pull it out of our bushes and beds every year--and it always comes back.

I'm in Waco, Texas now, but I have seen it in San Antonio, too. Anyone have any ideas what this pest might be?

club shaped leaves? climbs by wrapping itself around other plants? definately an ivy. I'll find a picture of it for ya ^.^ hang on one minute, okie dokie?

something like that?

Or maybeeeeeeeeeeeee something else on this page?
The American Ivy Society\'s Ivy Portfolio

I found this list of Texas natives. It has lots of picts. Wish I could be more help.
Texas Native plants

gardencrazy

Phoebe:
That is very close, but not exactly it. The texture of the leaves if very different from your picture. They are very soft and almost fuzzy; and they are only one shade of green (medium shade in your picture) throught their life (they don't start out so yellow, and they never turn dark). I'll try to get a picture of it to post.

GardenCrazy:
Wow. That is a great website for Texas plants. I haven't had time to look through all the pictures (seems like that could take years, anyway), but I'll keep looking!

Thanks for your help!
m

maybe it's swedish ivy? swedish ivy

Nope. Not Swedish Ivy, either. Thanks, though.
I'm fairly sure it is not any kind of real ivy. Although, it may be some kind of imitator. It is a pest plant that is very common in Texas. My mother told me it is the Texas equivalent of Kudzu; but it really doesn't resemble Kudzu at all. Eventhough it looks like ivy, the leaves and green stems are slightly fuzzy. The older stems and roots are woody.
Thanks for everyone's help! Hopefully I'll get a picture of it for you soon.

So, we've been told that this vine is a morning glory, and that we haven't seen flowers because it's too early for it to bloom.
I'm not sure that I believe it, <img border="0" alt="[tongue]" title="" src="graemlins/tongue.gif" /> as I have grown morning glories before; but that is what I've been told.
Anybody have any thoughts? <img border="0" alt="[perplexed]" title="" src="graemlins/confused.gif" />

I was trimming Morning Glories the other day. They have yellow flowers i think, and seemed to have a lotta fun binding to their hangers, and other plants. I remember them having fuzzy stems and vines, but i don't remember if the leaves were fuzzy or not.

I searched online for hours looking for any kind of morning glory that resembles this vine, and found none. This vine has very ivy-looking leaves, but they are fuzzy. I found something called Ivy Leaf Morning Glory, but it really didn't look like what I've got.

Does it grow more in the shade..although will grow in sun?.... have little soft delicate looking leaves? I have something that does the same thing and wraps itself around the shrubs...acts like it wants to choke it to death...but I have no idea what it is or if it is even the same obnoxious weed...very deep rooted and you have to clip the base...if you try to pull by hand you only get the top growth out. The leaves on mine kind of resemble Southern maidhair fern...but it isn't that!!!! :rolleyes:

mshpring,
Got any pictures???

Weezie

Nope, the leaves are much more ivy-like than fern-like. But, all of the other characteristics you listed sound like my vine... Go figure! :rolleyes:

I'll keep searching! <img border="0" alt="[perplexed]" title="" src="graemlins/confused.gif" />

Sorry, weezie! Got no pics yet...

To Mshspring:
Was looking for info on an ivy I have and saw your posts about a climbing vine with ivy-shaped leaves. I have one that sounds like what you have. It's a hops plant. It has a roundish "fruit" (the hops) that grows on it and I don't believe it flowers. The stems of the plant are prickly but not like a rose, more like velcro - sticky. Hope this gets to you and that you solve your mystery.