Types of Vines

Nightshade Family

Nightshade Family
Morning Glory, common name for a plant family (see Nightshade) that includes about 1650 species of vines, shrubs, and a few trees. Most are tropical, and many are considered weeds. The vines common bindweed and wild morning glory, for example, are widespread throughout the United States. The sweet potato, native to tropical America, belongs to this family. Dodder is a parasitic genus, lacking leaves and green color, that attaches itself to and lives on shrubs and herbs; it is a common weed in Europe and the United States.

Scientific classification: Morning glories make up the family Convolvulaceae. The common bindweed is classified as Convolvulus arvensis, the wild morning glory as Convolvulus sepium, and the common morning glory as Ipomoea purpurea. The name moonflower is applied especially to the species classified as Ipomoea alba. The dwarf morning glory is classified as Convolvulus tricolor.

Passionflower, common name for a flowering plant family, and especially for members of its principal genus. The flowers are usually perfect, generally having a five-parted calyx and five-parted corolla. All species have a more or less conspicuous crown of filaments springing from the throat of the tube formed by the base of the calyx and corolla. The family contains about 530 species, most of which are climbing plants, such as the passion vine of the southern United States, which sometimes reaches a height of 9 m (30 ft). The bell apple, or water lemon, of the West Indies is a species of passionflower with an edible fruit. The giant granadilla is a closely related plant native to Jamaica and South America. The pulp, or aril, surrounding each seed of the giant granadilla plant is used in flavoring drinks and ices.

Scientific classification: Passionflowers make up the family Passifloraceae. The principal genus is Passiflora. The passion vine is classified as Passiflora incarnata, the bell apple, or water lemon, as Passiflora laurifolia, and the giant granadilla as Passiflora quadrangularis.

Pepper, the world's most important spice (see Spices), is prepared from the peppercorn, the fruit of the pepper plant, a climbing vine native to India and widely cultivated in hot, moist areas of tropical Asia. Peppercorns that are harvested while green and immature and then allowed to dry yield black pepper. To produce white pepper, red and ripe peppercorns are soaked in water and their outer covering is rubbed off. Pepper is one of the oldest known spices, in use for at least 3000 years. Although pepper contains several alkaloids, its pungency is caused by a resin, chavicine. Chili and sweet peppers are derived from plants of the nightshade family.

Scientific classification: Peppers make up the family Piperaceae of the order Piperales. Its representative genus is Piper. Pepper elders constitute the genus Peperomia. The pepper plant is classified as Piper nigrum. Chili and sweet peppers are derived from plants of the genus Capsicum, of the family Solanaceae. The Polynesian beverage kava is produced from the plant classified as Piper methysticum. The lizard's-tail family is Saururaceae. The yerba mansa is classified as Anemopsis californica. The other family in the order Piperales is Chloranthaceae.

Verbena Family
Lantana
Common lantanas include yellow sage, which is a hairy, sometimes prickly shrub that reaches a height of 1.2 m (4 ft); weeping lantana, a ground cover vine with lilac, blue, or rose flowers; and Texas lantana, a prickly shrub 1 to 2 m (3 to 6 ft) high with flowers that change from yellow to orange as they mature.

Scientific classification: Lantanas belong to the verbena family, Verbenaceae. Yellow sage is classified as Lantana camara, weeping lantana as Lantana montevidensis. Texas lantana is classified as Lantana horrida because of the disagreeable odor of the crushed leaves.

Violet Family

Violet (plant), common name for a medium-size family of flowering plants, and for its representative genus. The family contains about 830 species of herbs, shrubs, and even some woody vines and trees, almost half of which are in the predominantly herbaceous representative genus. Natural species and hybrids of violets are widely grown. Wild species, often called heartsease, are grown for their color, fragrance, and interesting flower shapes and coloration patterns. Most have very short stems, and the leaves appear to emerge directly from the ground; some, however, such as the Johnny-jump-up, have elongated stems. Violets are easily hybridized, and many hundreds of types have been developed. These are usually called pansies and are favorite early spring flowers.

The violet family belongs to an order having 24 families and about 5000 species. Usually, leaves are alternate and have stipules (leaflike appendages) at their bases. The stipules of violets are easily examined by spreading the leaf bases. Other important families in the order include the begonia, the gourd, the passionflower, and a family of some 875 tropical shrubs and trees. Some plants commonly called violets belong to other, unrelated groups of plants. For example, the African violet and the dogtooth violet belong to two unrelated families.

Scientific classification: Violets make up the family Violaceae in the order Violales. The representative genus of the family is Viola. The papaya belongs to the family Caricaceae and is classified as Carica papaya. The annatto belongs to the family Bixaceae and is classified as Bixa orellana. African violets make up the genus Saintpaulia of the family Gesneriaceae. The dogtooth violet belongs to the family Liliaceae and is classified as Erythronium albidum.

Wisteria, genus of woody, climbing plants of the legume family. About a half-dozen species are cultivated. The best-known wisterias are the Chinese, the Japanese, and the American. Wisterias are commonly planted for training over trellises, doorways, or porches and bear showy hanging clusters of pealike blue or violet flowers. These plants may in time produce branches long enough to reach across a large house and as thick as an adult's arm. The leaves are compound, with 7 to 19 leaflets. The fruit is an elongate pod. Children have been poisoned by eating the seeds or pods of wisterias. Symptoms include repeated vomiting with abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Scientific classification: Wisterias are members of the subfamily Papilionoideae, family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae). The Chinese wisteria is classified as Wisteria sinensis, the Japanese as Wisteria floribunda, and the American as Wisteria frutescens.

more vines..


related articles:

• Herb
• Shrub
• verbena family
• plants