Species of flowering plant
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]
Description
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]
Biology
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]
Uses
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]
