A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or

scandent A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Day ...

(that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in

wicker Wicker is a method of weaving used to make products such as furniture and baskets, as well as a descriptor to classify such products. It is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as . Wicker was first documented ...

work.Jackson; Benjamin; Daydon (1928). ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent'', 4th ed. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co. In parts of the world, including the British Isles, the term "vine" usually applies exclusively to grapevines, while the term "climber" is used for all climbing plants.

Growth forms

Certain plants always grow as vines, while a few grow as vines only part of the time. For instance,

poison ivy Poison ivy is a type of allergenic plant in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' native to Asia and North America. Formerly considered a single species, '' Toxicodendron radicans'', poison ivies are now generally treated as a complex of three separate s ...

and bittersweet can grow as low shrubs when support is not available, but will become vines when support is available. A vine displays a growth form based on very long stems. This has two purposes. A vine may use rock exposures, other plants, or other supports for growth rather than investing energy in a lot of supportive tissue, enabling the plant to reach sunlight with a minimum investment of energy. This has been a highly successful growth form for plants such as

kudzu Kudzu (), also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot, is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands. It is invasive species, invasive in ...

and Japanese honeysuckle, both of which are invasive exotics in parts of North America. There are some tropical vines that develop skototropism, and grow away from the light, a type of negative

phototropism In biology, phototropism is the growth of an organism in response to a light stimulus. Phototropism is most often observed in plants, but can also occur in other organisms such as fungi. The cells on the plant that are farthest from the ligh ...

. Growth away from light allows the vine to reach a tree trunk, which it can then climb to brighter regions. The vine growth form may also enable plants to colonize large areas quickly, even without climbing high. This is the case with periwinkle and

ground ivy ''Glechoma hederacea'' is an aromatic, perennial, evergreen creeper of the mint family Lamiaceae. It is commonly known as ground-ivy, gill-over-the-ground,Connecticut Invasive Plant List', Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, January ...

. It is also an adaptation to life in areas where small patches of fertile soil are adjacent to exposed areas with more sunlight but little or no soil. A vine can root in the soil but have most of its leaves in the brighter, exposed area, getting the best of both environments. The evolution of a climbing habit has been implicated as a key innovation associated with the evolutionary success and diversification of a number of taxonomic groups of plants. It has evolved independently in several plant families, using many different climbing methods, such as: * twining the stem around a support (e.g., morning glories, ''

Ipomoea ''Ipomoea'' () is the largest genus in the plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 600 species. It is a large and diverse group, with common names including morning glory, Ipomoea aquatica, water convolvulus or water spinach, sweet potato, ...

'' species) * by way of adventitious, clinging roots (e.g., ivy, ''

Hedera ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern ...

'' species) * with twining petioles (e.g., ''

Clematis ''Clematis'' is a genus of about 380 species within the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. Their garden hybrids and cultivars have been popular among gardeners, beginning with ''Clematis'' 'Jackmanii', a garden staple since 1862; more cultivars ...

'' species) * using

tendril In botany, a tendril is a specialized Plant stem, stem, leaf or Petiole (botany), petiole with a thread-like shape used by climbing plants for support and attachment, as well as cellular invasion by parasitic plants such as ''Cuscuta''. There ar ...

s, which can be specialized shoots (

Vitaceae The Vitaceae are a family of flowering plants, with 14 genera and around 910 known species, including common plants such as Vitis, grapevines (''Vitis'' spp.) and Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Virginia creeper (''Parthenocissus quinquefolia''). Th ...

), leaves (

Bignoniaceae Bignoniaceae () is a Family (biology), family of flowering plants in the Order (biology), order Lamiales commonly known as the bignonias or trumpet vines.Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. ''Flowering Plant ...

), or even inflorescences (''

Passiflora ''Passiflora'', known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 550 species of flowering plants, the type genus of the family Passifloraceae. ''Passiflora'' species are widely cultivated for their striking flowers, fla ...

'') * using tendrils which also produce adhesive pads at the end that attach themselves quite strongly to the support (''

Parthenocissus ''Parthenocissus'' , is a genus of tendril vine, climbing plants in the grape family (biology), family, Vitaceae. It contains about 12 species native plant, native to the Himalaya, eastern Asia and North America. Several are grown for ornamental ...

'') * using thorns (e.g. climbing rose) or other hooked structures, such as hooked branches (e.g. ''

Artabotrys hexapetalus ''Artabotrys hexapetalus'', the climbing ylang-ylang, is a shrub found in India through to Burma, southern China and Taiwan, having flowers that are renowned for their exotic fragrance. It is also called ylang-ylang vine or tail grape in English, ...

'') The climbing fetterbush (''

Pieris phillyreifolia ''Pieris phillyreifolia'', commonly known as the climbing fetterbush, is a shrubby vine. An evergreen perennial in the Ericaceae family, it has white flowers. It grows in the southeastern United States. It is a dicot The dicotyledons, also ...

'') is a woody shrub-vine which climbs without clinging roots, tendrils, or thorns. It directs its stem into a crevice in the bark of fibrous barked trees (such as

bald cypress ''Taxodium distichum'' (baldcypress, bald-cypress, bald cypress, swamp cypress; ; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a w ...

) where the stem adopts a flattened profile and grows up the tree underneath the host tree's outer bark. The fetterbush then sends out branches that emerge near the top of the tree. Most vines are flowering plants. These may be divided into woody vines or

liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

s, such as akebia

wisteria ''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae). The genus includes four species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and nor ...

kiwifruit Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi), or Chinese gooseberry, is the edible berry (botany), berry of several species of woody vines in the genus ''Actinidia''. The most common cultivar group of kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa, ...

, and common ivy, and herbaceous (nonwoody) vines, such as

morning glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...

. One odd group of vining plants is the fern genus ''Lygodium'', called

climbing fern ''Lygodium'' (climbing fern) is a genus of about 40 species of ferns, native to tropical regions across the world, with a few temperate species in eastern Asia and eastern North America. It is the sole genus in the family Lygodiaceae in the Pter ...

s. The stem does not climb, but rather the fronds (leaves) do. The fronds unroll from the tip, and theoretically never stop growing; they can form thickets as they unroll over other plants, rockfaces, and fences. Helix diagram-de

Twining vines

A twining vine, also known as a bine, is one that climbs by its shoots growing in a

helix A helix (; ) is a shape like a cylindrical coil spring or the thread of a machine screw. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is for ...

, in contrast to vines that climb using tendrils or suckers. Many bines have rough stems or downward-pointing bristles to aid their grip.

Hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whic ...

(used in flavoring beer) are a commercially important example of a bine. The direction of rotation of the shoot tip during climbing is autonomous and does not (as sometimes imagined) derive from the shoot's following the sun around the sky – the direction of twist does not therefore depend upon which side of the equator the plant is growing on. This is shown by the fact that some bines always twine clockwise, including runner bean (''

Phaseolus coccineus ''Phaseolus coccineus'', known as runner bean, scarlet runner bean, or multiflora bean, is a plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. Another common name is butter bean, which, however, can also refer to the lima bean, a different species. It is ...

'') and bindweed ('' Convolvulus'' species), while others twine anticlockwise, including black bryony (''

Dioscorea communis ''Dioscorea communis'' or ''Tamus communis'' is a species of flowering plant in the yam family Dioscoreaceae and is commonly known as black bryony, lady's-seal or black bindweed. Description It is a climbing herbaceous plant growing to 2–4 m ...

'') and climbing honeysuckles (''

Lonicera Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae. The genus includes 158 species native to northern latitudes in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. Widely known species include ...

'' species). The contrasting rotations of bindweed and honeysuckle was the theme of the satirical song "Misalliance", written and sung by Michael Flanders and Donald Swann (but the lyrics confuse the direction of twining, describing honeysuckle as right-handed and bindweed as left-handed).

Horticultural climbing plants

The term "vine" also applies to

Cucurbitaceae The Cucurbitaceae (), also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family (biology), family consisting of about 965 species in 101 genera.

like cucumbers where botanists refer to creeping vines; in commercial agriculture the natural tendency of coiling tendrils to attach themselves to pre-existing structures or

espalier Espalier ( or ) is the horticulture, horticultural and ancient Agriculture, agricultural practice of controlling woody plant growth for the production of fruit, by pruning and tying branches to a frame. Plants are frequently shaped in formal patt ...

s is optimized by the installation of trellis netting. Gardeners can use the tendency of climbing plants to grow quickly. If a plant display is wanted quickly, a climber can achieve this. Climbers can be trained over walls, pergolas, fences, etc. Climbers can be grown over other plants to provide additional attraction. Artificial support can also be provided. Some climbers climb by themselves; others need work, such as tying them in and training them.

Scientific description

Vines widely differ in size, form and evolutionary origin. Darwin classified climbing groups based on their climbing method. He classified five classes of vines – twining plants, leaf climbers, tendril bearers, root climbers and hook climbers. Vines are remarkable in that they have multiple evolutionary origins. They usually reside in tropical locations and have the unique ability to climb. Vines are able to grow in both deep shade and full sun due to their uniquely wide range of

phenotypic plasticity Phenotypic plasticity refers to some of the changes in an organism's behavior, morphology and physiology in response to a unique environment. Fundamental to the way in which organisms cope with environmental variation, phenotypic plasticity encompa ...

. This climbing action prevents shading by neighbors and allows the vine to grow out of reach of herbivores. The environment where a vine can grow successfully is determined by the climbing mechanism of a vine and how far it can spread across supports. There are many theories supporting the idea that photosynthetic responses are closely related to climbing mechanisms. Temperate twining vines, which twist tightly around supports, are typically poorly adapted for climbing beneath closed canopies due to their smaller support diameter and shade intolerance. In contrast, tendril vines usually grow on the forest floor and onto trees until they reach the surface of the canopy, suggesting that they have greater physiological plasticity. It has also been suggested that twining vines' revolving growth is mediated by changes in

turgor pressure Turgor pressure is the force within the cell that pushes the plasma membrane against the cell wall. It is also called ''hydrostatic pressure'', and is defined as the pressure in a fluid measured at a certain point within itself when at equilibri ...

mediated by volume changes in the epidermal cells of the bending zone. Climbing vines can take on many unique characteristics in response to changes in their environments. Climbing vines can induce chemical defenses and modify their biomass allocation in response to herbivores. In particular, the twisting vine ''

Convolvulus arvensis ''Convolvulus arvensis'', or field bindweed, is a species of bindweed in the Convolvulaceae native to Europe and Asia. It is a rhizomatous and climbing or creeping herbaceous perennial plant with stems growing to in length. It is usually found a ...

'' increases its twining in response to herbivore-associated leaf damage, which may lead to reduced future herbivory. Additionally, the tendrils of

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

vine ''Cayratia japonica'' are more likely to coil around nearby plants of another species than nearby plants of the same species in natural and experimental settings. This ability, which has only been previously documented in roots, demonstrates the vine's ability to distinguish whether another plant is of the same species as itself or a different one. In tendrilled vines, the tendrils are highly sensitive to touch and the coiling action is mediated by the hormones octadecanoids,

jasmonate Jasmonate (JA) and its derivatives are lipid-based plant hormones that regulate a wide range of processes in plants, ranging from growth and photosynthesis to reproductive development. In particular, JAs are critical for plant defense against herb ...

s and

indole-3-acetic acid Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA, 3-IAA) is the most common naturally occurring plant hormone of the auxin class. It is the best known of the auxins, and has been the subject of extensive studies by plant physiologists. IAA is a derivative of indole, con ...

. The touch stimulus and hormones may interact via volatile compounds or internal oscillation patterns. Research has found the presence of ion translocating

ATPase ATPases (, Adenosine 5'-TriPhosphatase, adenylpyrophosphatase, ATP monophosphatase, triphosphatase, ATP hydrolase, adenosine triphosphatase) are a class of enzymes that catalyze the decomposition of ATP into ADP and a free phosphate ion or ...

s in the ''Bryonia dioica'' species of plants, which has implications for a possible ion mediation tendril curling mechanism. In response to a touch stimulus,

vanadate In chemistry, a vanadate is an anionic coordination complex of vanadium. Often vanadate refers to oxoanions of vanadium, most of which exist in its highest oxidation state of +5. The complexes and are referred to as hexacyanovanadate(III) and no ...

-sensitive K⁺, Mg²⁺ ATPase and Ca²⁺-translocating ATPases rapidly increase their activity. This increases transmembrane ion fluxes that appear to be involved in the early stages of tendril coiling.

Example vine taxa

* ''

Actinidia ''Actinidia'' is a genus of woody and, with a few exceptions, dioecious plants native to temperate eastern Asia, occurring throughout most of China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, and extending north to southern areas of Russian Far East and south ...

,'' a genus in the

Actinidiaceae The Actinidiaceae are a small family (biology), family of flowering plants. The family has three genus, genera and about 360 species and is a member of the order Ericales. Distribution They are temperate and subtropical woody plant, woody vines, ...

family that includes edible fruiting vines, ''Actinidia chinensis'' var. ''deliciosa'' (

vine), and '' A. arguta'' (hardy kiwifruit or kiwiberry vine), and cultivated ornamental vines ''A.kolomikta'', and '' A. polygama'' (silver vine) * '' Adlumia fungosa'', the Allegheny vine * '' Akebia'', a genus of about 5 vines in the

Lardizabalaceae Lardizabalaceae is a family (biology), family of flowering plants. The family has been universally recognized by taxonomists, including the APG II system (2003; unchanged from the APG system of 1998), which places it in the order Ranunculales, ...

family, including ''

Akebia quinata ''Akebia quinata'' –commonly known as , chocolate vine, five-leaf chocolate vine, or five-leaf akebia– is a vine that is native to Japan, China and Korea, commonly used as an Ornamental plant, ornamental or edible plant in the United States a ...

'', and '' A. trioliata'' (chocolate vines) * '' Allamanda,'' a genus in the

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (, from '' Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Notable mem ...

family including the cultivated ornamental vines '' Allamanda cathartica (''common or golden trumpet vine) and '' A. blanchetii'' * ''

Ampelocissus ''Ampelocissus'' is a genus of Vitaceae having 90 or more species found variously in tropical Africa, Asia, Central America, and Oceania. The type species, Ampelocissus latifolia, ''A. latifolia'', was originally treated under its basionym, ''Vit ...

'', a large genus in the

family native to tropical and subtropical regions worldwide * '' Ampelopsis'', a genus of vines in the

family native to Asia and North America known as porcelain berry or pepper vines, including the cultivated ornamental vines ''Ampelopsis glandulosa'' * ''

Anredera cordifolia ''Anredera cordifolia'', commonly known as the Madeira vine or mignonette vine, is a South American species of ornamental plant, ornamental succulent vine of the family Basellaceae. The combination of fleshy leaves and thick aerial tubers makes t ...

'', Madeira-vine * '' Antigonon'', the coral vine * '' Antigonon leptopus'', the Confederate vine * '' Aptenia cordifolia'', the heart-leaved aptenia * '' Araujia sericifera'', moth vine * ''

Asparagus asparagoides ''Asparagus asparagoides'', commonly known as bridal creeper, bridal-veil creeper, ''gnarboola'', smilax or smilax asparagus, is a herbaceous climbing plant of the family Asparagaceae native to eastern and southern Africa. Sometimes grown as an ...

'', bridal creeper, bridal-veil creeper * ''

Banisteriopsis caapi ''Banisteriopsis caapi'', also known as, caapi, soul vine, yagé (yage), or ayahuasca (the latter of which also refers to the psychedelic decoction made with the vine and a plant source of dimethyltryptamine) is a South American liana of the fam ...

'', ayahuasca, also known as caapi, yage, and soul vine * '' Berchemia scandens'', the rattan vine * ''

Bignonia ''Bignonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae. Its genus and family were named after Jean-Paul Bignon by his protégé Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in 1694, and the genus was established as part of modern botanical nomen ...

'', the cross vine * ''

Bougainvillea ''Bougainvillea'' ( , ) is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the family, Nyctaginaceae. They are native to Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Argentina. There are between 4 and 22 species in the genus. The i ...

'', a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees * '' Callerya megasperma'', native wisteria * '' Calystegia sepium'', hedge bindweed * '' Campsis'', the trumpet vine ** '' Campsis grandiflora'', the Chinese trumpet vine * '' Cardiospermum halicacabum'', the balloon vine * ''

Celastrus ''Celastrus'', commonly known as staff vine, staff tree or bittersweet, is the type genus of the family Celastraceae; it contains over 40 species of shrubs and vines, which have a wide distribution in East Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Ame ...

'', the staff vine * '' Ceropegia woodii'', string of hearts * ''

Clematis vitalba ''Clematis vitalba'' (also known as old man's beard and traveller's joy) is a shrub of the family Ranunculaceae. Description ''Clematis vitalba'' is a climbing shrub with branched, grooved Plant stem, stems, deciduous leaves, and scented green ...

'', traveller's joy * '' Clerodendrum thomsoniae'', bleeding-heart vine * '' Clitoria ternatea'', butterfly pea * '' Ceropegia linearis'', the rosary vine or sweetheart vine * '' Cissus antarctica'', the kangaroo vine * ''

Cissus hypoglauca ''Cissus hypoglauca'' is a common Australian vine. It is one of the better known climbing plants of the genus ''Cissus'' in the grape family. A very common climber in moist areas of eastern Australia, it often colonises large areas after fores ...

'', the water vine * ''Citrullus lanatus'' var. ''lanatus'''','' the watermelon * '' Cobaea scandens'', cup-and-saucer vine, cathedral bells, Mexican ivy * Cochliasanthus, known as corkscrew vine, snail vine, snail creeper * '' Cucumis sativus'', the cucumber * ''

Cyphostemma juttae ''Cyphostemma juttae'' is a slow-growing succulent species of ''Cyphostemma'' from southern Africa, well known as an ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for q ...

'', known as wild grape * '' Delairea odorata'', German ivy * ''

Dolichandra unguis-cati ''Dolichandra unguis-cati'', commonly known as cat's claw creeper, funnel creeper, or cat's claw trumpet, In Hawai'i it is called Hug-me-tight. is a rapidly growing climbing vine belonging to the family Bignoniaceae. It affects all plant layers o ...

'', cat's claw creeper, funnel creeper, or cat's claw trumpet * '' Epipremnum aureum'', known as golden pothos and devil's ivy * '' Fallopia baldschuanica'', the Russian vine * '' Ficus pumila'', known as the climbing fig * ''

Hardenbergia violacea ''Hardenbergia violacea'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is known in Australia by the common names false sarsaparilla, purple coral pea, and waraburra. Elsewhere it is also called purple tw ...

'', lilac vine * ''

Hedera helix ''Hedera helix'', the common ivy, European ivy, King's Choice ivy, or just ivy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae. It is native to most of Europe and parts of western Asia. Ivy is a clinging evergreen vine that grows on t ...

'', known as common ivy, English ivy, European ivy, or ivy * '' Hibbertia scandens'', climbing guinea flower, golden guinea vine, gold guinea plant * '' Hoya'', a genus of about 300 species of climbing or creeping plants * '' Humulus lupulus'', common hop * '' Hydrangea petiolaris'', climbing hydrangea * ''

,'' a genus of over 600 mostly climbing species and largest genus in the

Convolvulaceae Convolvulaceae (), commonly called the bindweed, bindweeds or morning glory, morning glories, is a Family (biology), family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species. These species are primarily herbaceous vines, but also include trees, sh ...

family. ''

Ipomoea batatas The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the ...

'' (sweet potato) is widely cultivated for its edible, starchy roots. The sap of '' I. alba'' (moon vine) sap was used for

vulcanization Vulcanization (British English: vulcanisation) is a range of processes for hardening rubbers. The term originally referred exclusively to the treatment of natural rubber with sulfur, which remains the most common practice. It has also grown to ...

of the

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latices are found in nature, but synthetic latices are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a wikt:milky, milky fluid, which is present in 10% of all floweri ...

of ''

Castilla elastica ''Castilla elastica'', the Panama rubber tree, is a tree native to the tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It was the principal source of latex among the Mesoamerican peoples in pre-Columbian times. The latex g ...

'' (Panama rubber tree). Many species are cultivated as ornamentals vines including '' I. cairica'' (coast morning glory), '' I. indica'' (blue morning glory), '' I. purpurea'' (purple morning glory), '' I. lobata'' (fire vine, Spanish flag vine), and '' I. tricolor'' * '' Jasminum polyanthum'', pink jasmine * '' Kadsura japonica'', kadsura vine * '' Kennedia coccinea'', the common coral vine * '' Kennedia nigricans, black coral pea * '' Lagenaria siceraria'', known as the bottle gourd, calabash, opo squash, or long melon * '' Lathyrus odoratus'', the sweet pea * ''

Lonicera japonica ''Lonicera japonica'', known as Japanese honeysuckle and golden-and-silver honeysuckle, is a species of honeysuckle native to East Asia, including many parts of China. It is often grown as an ornamental plant, but has become an invasive species i ...

'', known as Suikazura or Japanese honeysuckle * ''

Luffa ''Luffa'' is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the pumpkin, squash and gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). In everyday non-technical usage, the luffa, also spelled loofah or less frequently loofa, usually refers to the fruits of the speci ...

'', a genus of tropical and subtropical vines classified in the cucumber family, Cucurbitaceae * ''

Lygodium ''Lygodium'' (climbing fern) is a genus of about 40 species of ferns, native to tropical regions across the world, with a few temperate species in eastern Asia and eastern North America. It is the sole genus in the family Lygodiaceae in the Pte ...

'', a genus of about 40 species of ferns, known as climbing ferns * ''

Mandevilla ''Mandevilla'' is a genus of tropical and subtropical flowering vines belonging to the family Apocynaceae. It was first described as a genus in 1840. A common name is rocktrumpet. ''Mandevilla'' species are native to the Southwestern United St ...

'', rocktrumpet, Brazilian jasmine * ''

Momordica charantia ''Momordica charantia'' (commonly called bitter melon, cerassee, goya, bitter apple, bitter gourd, bitter squash, balsam-pear, karela, karavila and many more names listed below) is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, w ...

'', the bitter gourd * ''

Mikania scandens ''Mikania scandens'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Its common names include climbing hempvine, climbing hempweed, and louse-plaster. It is native to the eastern and central United States, with its distribution extendin ...

'', the hemp vine * '' Muehlenbeckia adpressa'', the macquarie vine * ''

Nepenthes ''Nepenthes'' ( ) is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are m ...

'', a genus of carnivorous plants known as tropical pitcher plants or monkey cups * ''

Pandorea jasminoides ''Pandorea jasminoides'', also known by the common names bower of beauty and bower vine, is a species of flowering plant in the family Bignoniaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a woody climber with Pinnation, pinnate leaves that h ...

'', bower vine * '' Pandorea pandorana'', the wonga wonga vine * ''

'' is a genus of deciduous vines in the

family, native to Asia and North America. Several species are cultivated as ornamental vines, including '' P. henryana'', (Chinese Virginia-creeper), '' P. quinquefolia (''Virginia creeper), and '' P. tricuspidata'' (Boston ivy, Japanese ivy) * ''

'' is a large genus of about 550 species in the Passifloraceae, with the vast majority being tendril-bearing vines. Some species are cultivated for their edible fruit ( passion fruit) with ''

Passiflora edulis ''Passiflora edulis'', commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to the region of southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for Passi ...

'' (maracujá) the most important species commercially, but other edible species include '' P. ligularis'' and '' P. quadrangularis'' (granadilla), '' P. tripartita'' and '' P. tarminiana''. Many species and hybrids are also grown as ornamentals for their flowers. * '' Periploca graeca'', the silk vine * '' Philodendron hederaceum'', heartleaf philodendron * '' Piper betle''. betel vine * '' Podranea ricasoliana'', the pink trumpet vine * ''

Pueraria lobata ''Pueraria montana'' var. ''lobata'', the East Asian arrowroot, or kudzu vine, is a perennial plant in the family Fabaceae. Names It is called ''gé'' () in Chinese, in Japanese, and ''chik'' () or ''gal'' () in Korean. Description The ...

'', the kudzu vine * '' Pyrostegia venusta'', flamevine or orange trumpet vine * '' Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides'', Mexican flamevine * '' Rosa banksiae'', Lady Banks' rose * '' Rosa filipes'', climbing rose * Schizophragma, hydrangea vine * '' Scindapsus pictus'', the silver vine * '' Sechium edule'', known as chayote, christophene, or several other names * '' Senecio angulatus'', known as Cape ivy * '' Solandra'', a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family * '' Solanum laxum'', the potato vine * '' Stephania japonica'', snake vine * '' Stephanotis floribunda'', known as Madagascar jasmine * '' Strongylodon macrobotrys'', the jade vine * ''

Syngonium ''Syngonium'' ''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical rainforests in southern Mexico, the West Indies, Central and South America. They are woody vines growing to hei ...

'', the goosefoot vine ** ''

Syngonium podophyllum ''Syngonium podophyllum'' is a species of aroid that is a popular houseplant. Common names include: arrowhead plant, arrowhead vine, arrowhead philodendron, goosefoot, nephthytis, African evergreen, and American evergreen. The species is native ...

'', the arrowhead vine * '' Thunbergia alata'', black-eyed Susan * '' Thunbergia grandiflora'', known as the Bengal clock vine or blue trumpet vine * '' Thunbergia erecta'', the bush clock vine * ''

Toxicodendron radicans ''Toxicodendron radicans'', commonly known as eastern poison ivy or poison ivy, is a species of allergenic flowering plant. It has numerous subtaxons and forms both vines and shrubs. Despite its common name, it is not a true ivy, but rather a m ...

'', known as poison ivy * '' Trachelospermum asiaticum'', Asiatic jasmine * '' Trachelospermum jasminoides'', Confederate jasmine, star jasmine * ''

Vitis ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 81 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus consists of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, bot ...

'', any of about sixty species of grape * ''

Wisteria ''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae). The genus includes four species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and nor ...

'', a genus of flowering plants in the pea family * '' Xerosicyos'', silver dollar vine

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Plant morphology Plants by habit Plant life-forms