Types of Vines

Legume Family

Legume Family
Derris, common name for any one of about 40 species of trees, shrubs, and woody vines native to the tropics and subtropics of Eurasia, members of the legume family. Derris has compound leaves (leaves composed of leaflets arranged along a stem) with an odd number of leaflets. The pealike flowers can be white, yellow, pink, or purple, and are usually clustered. The flowers develop into flat, leathery fruit pods, which release their seeds by rotting rather than splitting open when they hit the ground. The common name is derived from deros, the Greek word for a leathery covering, and refers to the fruit pods.

Scientific classification: Derris species are members of the subfamily Papilionoideae, family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae). The Malay jewel vine is classified as Derris scandens, and the derris root as Derris elliptica.

Sweet Pea, common name for a colorful, often fragrant flowering herb that has been popular in gardens for centuries, member of the pea or legume family. Most cultivated varieties, or cultivars, of sweet pea are climbing vines, although the dwarf sweet pea varieties are compact, bushy, and nonclimbing. Sweet pea is native to Italy and grows well in full sun and a deep, fertile soil. Intensive plant breeding programs in the 20th century have produced heat-resistant cultivars, increasing the length of sweet pea’s growing season.

Scientific classification: Sweet pea belongs to the subfamily Papilionoideae, family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae). The scientific name for sweet pea is Lathyrus odoratus. The species name comes from the pleasant fragrance of the flowers.

Lily Family
Lily
The yam family is a medium-size tropical and subtropical group with 8 genera and about 630 species. Most are weak-stemmed vines with large, underground food-storage organs—tubers or rhizomes. Yams are edible tubers of several cultivated species of the family's representative genus. Sweet potatoes are called yams in the southern United States but are unrelated to true yams (see Morning Glory).

Scientific classification: Lily is the common name for the family Liliaceae, of the order Liliales. The onion genus is Allium. Onions and shallots are produced from the species classified as Allium cepa. Garlic is classified as Allium sativum, chives as Allium schoenoprasum, and leeks as Allium porrum. Asparagus is classified as Asparagus officinalis and asparagus fern as Asparagus setaceus. The aloe genus is Aloe. The water hyacinth belongs to the family Pontederiaceae and is classified as Eichhornia crassipes. Sisal hemp, from the species classified as Agave sisalana; true hemp, from the species classified as Cannabis sativa; the Joshua tree, classified as Yucca brevifolia; and the century plant, classified as Agave americana; all belong to the family Agavaceae. The carrion flower, classified as Smilax herbacea, and the greenbrier, classified as Smilax rotundifolia, belong to the family Smilacaceae. The sweet potato belongs to the family Convolvulaceae and is classified as Ipomoea batatas.

see also: water lily

Melon (fruit), common name for any one of numerous varieties of sweet fruits of the gourd family, that grow on two species of trailing vines. One vine bears muskmelons, winter melons, and the European cantaloupe. The other bears the watermelons.

Muskmelons have a soft, ribbed rind with distinct netting, salmon-colored pulp, and a musky aroma. They are the most perishable of the melons and are particularly popular in North America, where they are also called cantaloupes, a misnomer taken from the quite distinct European cantaloupe.

Winter melons—of which the honeydew, Persian, casaba, and Crenshaw are best known—are less aromatic than muskmelons, take more time to mature, and have harder rinds that preserve them well after the growing season. The honeydew has a smooth rind with green pulp; the Persian has a dark rind with orange pulp; the casaba has a yellow, wrinkled rind with green or white pulp; and the Crenshaw has a dark green, wrinkled rind with pink pulp.

Scientific classification: Melons belong to the family Cucurbitaceae. Muskmelons, winter melons, and European cantaloupes grow on the vine classified as Cucumis melo. Muskmelons are derived from Cucumis melo variety reticulatus. Winter melons are derived from Cucumis melo variety inodorus. The true cantaloupe is classified as Cucumis melo variety cantalupensis. Watermelons grow on the vine classified as Citrullus lanatus.

Morning Glory Family
Sweet Potato, common name applied to a perennial, trailing herb of the morning glory family. The plant, which is native to tropical America, is cultivated on sandy or loamy soils throughout many warm regions of the world, and exists as an important food staple in the southern United States. It is planted primarily for its thick, edible roots, called sweet potatoes. Two main types are commonly cultivated: a dry, mealy type, and a soft, light-to-deep-yellow, moist-fleshed type. The species often called wild sweet-potato vine, manroot, or man-of-the-earth is not edible, but it is frequently cultivated as an ornamental vine in the eastern United States.

The sweet potato yields an important starch, which is used commercially for sizing textiles and papers, for the manufacture of adhesives, and in laundries. In the United States, large quantities of sweet potatoes, either freshly harvested or shredded and dried, are used as feed for livestock. See also Yam.

Scientific classification: The sweet potato belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. It is classified as Ipomoea batatas. The species called wild sweet-potato vine, manroot, or man-of-the-earth is classified as Ipomoea pandurata.

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