Origin:
Introduced from Europe, and now widespread throughout the United States and southern Canada.
Biology:
An annual broadleaf plant, growing as a fast-growing vine either along the ground or up onto other plants. Its dense growth and strangling habit can be harmful to other plants. A common weed in all kinds of crops, landscape gardens, and non-crop areas. Propagation is from seed, and germination is from mid-spring into early summer.
Identification:
Mature plants extend trailing stems up to 4 feet long. Stems are well branched, hairless, but covered with scales. Leaves are alternate on the stems and internodes are long. Leaves are on long stalks, arrow-head shaped, and may be up to 2.5 inches long. A thin, papery sheath encloses the stem at the base of the leaf. Flowers are produced from mid-summer into fall, and these are inconspicuous and greenish white, and borne in the leaf axils. They form in clusters on elongate stems up to 2.5 inches long
Characteristicts Important to Control:
An annual reproducing from seed. Being well adapted to many soil conditions makes cultural control difficult.
