General Culture:
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerant of a wide range of soils and growing conditions. May not be reliably winter hardy throughout USDA Zone 5 where it often suffers partial dieback or dies to the ground in harsh winters. Best planted in a protected location in the St Louis area. Usually will not produce fruit in early years.
Noteworthy Characteristics:
Carolina moonseed is a deciduous, Missouri native, woody vine which climbs with thin twining stems or scrambles along the ground, and primarily occurs in rocky open woods, wood margins, glades, fence rows, roadsides and stream/pond margins in the southern 1/3 of the State. Best ornamental features are its foliage and its attractive red berries in fall. Typically grows 10-12', but may grow larger in the deep South where it is not susceptible to winter dieback. Tiny, greenish-white flowers appear in loose, drooping, terminal and axillary clusters (racemes) in summer, but are insignificant. Flowers give way to loose clusters of bright red, flattened, pea-sized drupes which mature in late summer and persist well into fall. Medium green leaves (to 4" long) are of variable shapes ranging from oval to heart-shaped to triangular. The single crescent-shaped seed inside each drupe resembles a third quarter moon or small snail shell, thus giving rise to the common names of Carolina moonseed and Carolina snailseed for this vine.
Problems:
No serious insect or disease problems.
Uses:
Trellises, arbors, fences. Weave it through large shrubs, screens or hedgerows.
© Missouri Botanical
Garden, 2001-2010
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