Vine

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Vine, term for a flexible, weak-stemmed plant whose long, slender, fast-growing shoots rely on other plants or objects for support. In addition to winding or twining around supporting structures, vines may use thorns, tendrils, or hooks to climb and anchor to a structure and maximize exposure to sunlight without expending energy on supporting tissue. Vines may be evergreen (retaining foliage throughout the year) or deciduous (losing all foliage each year) and may provide edible fruits and berries. Vines are also known as climbing plants, trailing plants, or vining plants.

There are four general categories of vines. Lianas are woody perennials (plants that live at least three years) with ropelike stems that climb high into tree crowns where they produce flowers and fruit. Usually leafless along the stem, they may grow to more than 150 m (500 ft) in length. Scramblers are poor climbers, but spread quickly over neighboring vegetation with the aid of spines or thorns. By blanketing nearby vegetation these plants, such as blackberry, rose, ivy, and bougainvillea, receive most of the available sunlight and moisture. Trailing vines are weak-stemmed herbs, such as some varieties of bean plants, which spread over the ground until they find a suitable supporting structure such as a fence, pole, or tree. Creeping vines lie on the ground, often layering (sending roots into the soil from nodes on the stems) and spreading slowly across the ground.

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