Vine
A
vine is any plant of
genus Vitis (the
grape plants) or, by extension, any similar climbing or trailing plant. The word, ultimately derived from
Latin vīnea, originally referred exclusively to the grape-bearing plant; the modern extended sense is largely restricted to
North American English, which then uses
grapevine to refer specifically to the grape-bearing
Vitis species. (Conversely,
British English tends to use
climber to refer to the broader category, including, for example,
ivy.)
The remainder of this article uses the term
vine in its broader, North American sense.
|
Climbing plant, covering a chimney |
Certain plants always grow as vines, while a few grow as vines only part of the time. For instance,
poison ivy and
bittersweet can grow as low shrubs when support is not available, but will become vines when support is available.
A vine is a growth form based on long, flexible
stems. This has two purposes. A vine may use rock exposures, other plants, or other supports for growth rather than investing energy in a lot of supportive tissue, enabling the plant to reach sunlight with a minimum investment of energy. This has been a highly-successful growth form for plants such as
kudzu and
Japanese honeysuckle, both of which are
invasive exotics in parts of
North America. Conversely, there are some tropical vines that develop
skototropism and grow away from the light, a type of negative
phototropism.
The vine growth form may also enable plants to colonize large areas quickly, even without climbing high. This is the case with
periwinkle and
ground ivy.
Most vines are flowering plants. These may be divided into woody vines or
lianas, such as
wisteria,
kiwifruit, and
common ivy, and herbaceous (nonwoody) vines, such as
morning glory.
One odd group of vining plants is the fern genus
Lygodium, called
climbing ferns. Here, the plant's stem does not climb, but rather the fronds (leaves) do. The fronds unroll from the tip, and theoretically never stop growing. In the meantime, they can form thickets as they unroll over other plants, rockfaces, and fences.
Gardeners can use the tendency of climbing plants to grow quickly. If a plant display is wanted fast growing a climber can achieve this. Climbers can be trained over
Walls,
Pergolas,
Fences etc. Climbers can be grown up other plants to provide additional attraction. Artificial support can also be provided. Some climbers climb by themselves, others need work tying them in and training them.
*
Chilean native vines*
Grape*
Liana*
Lycopodiopsida (Clubmosses)
