Paederia foetida L.

Skunkvine

Vine

Perennial

Vascular

Skunkvine is an introduced perennial vine in the Madder family (Rubiaceae). It is native from Japan and China to eastern India and south to the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In Alabama it has been collected in the southern half of the state. Skunkvine occurs along fence rows, in urban woodlands, and on other disturbed sites. It is an herbaceous, twining or trailing vine reaching lengths of 30 feet or more. Stems are round in cross section, gray-brown or green in color, and glabrous to pubescent. Leaves are petiolate, opposite or in whorls of 3, elliptic, lanceolate, or ovate in outline, pubescent or glabrous, with entire margins. The leaf base varies from cuneate, rounded, truncate, or cordate. The leaves are slightly leathery in texture, and have an unpleasant odor when crushed. Flowers are sessile to pedicellate in axillary or terminal panicles. The calyx is glabrous to densely puberulent, turbinate to ellipsoid, with 5 deep triangular lobes. The corolla is funnelform to salverform in outline, pubescent to mealy, and white, pink, purple or lilac in color. The fruit is leathery, globose and contains 2-3 seed. Skunkvine is occasionally available from nurseries. It tends to grown rapidly and becomes aggressive with stems that come into contact with the soil rooting. It tolerates a wide range of conditions, and has become invasive in Florida where it smothers native vegetation.— A. Diamond.

First reported from Baldwin Co by Barger et al (2019) based on a 2018 collection.

Not Native

Barger, T.W., A. Cressler, B. Finzel, A. Highland, W.M. Knapp, F. Nation, A.R. Schotz, D.D. Spaulding, and C.T. Taylor. New and noteworthy vascular plants records for Alabama. Phytoneuron 2019-16: 1-7.