Mikania scandens | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Genus: | Mikania |
Species: | M. scandens
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Binomial name | |
Mikania scandens | |
Synonyms | |
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Mikania scandens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Its common names include climbing hempvine, climbing hempweed, and louse-plaster. [1] It is native to the eastern and central United States, with its distribution extending into Tamaulipas, Mexico. [1] Reports of its presence in Ontario, Canada are erroneous. [2] It is an introduced and invasive species on many Pacific Islands [3] and in parts of southern Asia. [4]
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. [2] [3]
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. [3] The climbing herbage can become weedy and dense, sometimes covering other vegetation. [5] It also has allelopathic effects on other plants. [4]
Its native habitat includes wooded areas and swamps. [3]
This is a host plant for the larvae of the Little Metalmark (Calephelis virginiensis), and the adult consumes the nectar. [6]
This plant is cultivated as a cover crop and a livestock fodder. It is also grown as an ornamental plant [3] and it is used in butterfly gardens. [6]
It is used in traditional medicine systems of the Indian subcontinent as a treatment for gastric ulcers, wounds, and insect bites and stings. [7]
Media related to Mikania scandens at Wikimedia Commons