The region where I live boasts such a wide array of plant species that I would never assume I can recognize all of them; knowing the most common ones in a variety of habitats is a goal I’m working toward, though. Still, it seems that every time I think I have familiarized myself with at least the basics, I’m confronted with something different! The learning process continues.
Recently, the new-to-me species that is far more abundant than I would have assumed is the Japanese climbing fern. If I had thought of this species before writing my post on invasive vines, I certainly would have included it, so consider this post an addendum of sorts (of which there may be many more, in the future). I first noticed this plant while I was taking a walk at a local park; the fern’s small fronds, with their fringed lobes, stretched out from the tree trunk that they clambered over. I knew that this was a species I didn’t recognize, and I had a strong feeling that it was probably an invasive. The iNaturalist app confirmed my suspicions.
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| Japanese climbing fern |
It’s an attractive plant, but it tends to grow very rapidly,
shading out small trees and recovering quickly after fires. I doubt that many people are considering planting this one in their gardens, but it’s not worth the ecological risks.
I came upon another aesthetically pleasing invasive plant on a visit to the East Coast area earlier this fall. The lobed, toothed leaves and small, round fruits initially made me think of a species of grape or muscadine, but the oddly vivid, jellybean colors of the berries didn’t seem quite right. After a bit of Internet research (with the help of iNaturalist), I identified the plant as a porcelain berry, also known as Amur peppervine. The species is part of the family Vitaceae, which includes the genus Vitus (grapes), although it’s actually in the genus Ampelopsis. Fortunately for people in the southeastern parts of the U.S., this plant doesn’t appear to have invaded that region.
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| Porcelain berry |
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| Muscadine, a native, for comparison’s sake |
Not all of my recent plant “discoveries” have been of the invasive variety. I was pleasantly surprised to find that beach morning glory (
Ipomoea imperati), a species I saw for the first time on Dauphin Island, is a
native vine in the Gulf Coast region. Along with sea oats and other native beach plants, it functions as a stabilizer of the sand dunes. Like other morning glories, it has striking, trumpet-shaped flowers. Finding these as you’re walking along a natural beach is about as enjoyable an experience as coming upon an unusual shell at the shoreline.
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| Beach morning glory |
As fall transitions into winter, I will continue to watch for interesting, unfamiliar plant species in the areas I regularly visit. Finding “new” plants and putting them into the context of ecosystems (for good or for bad reasons) is like piecing together a complex puzzle, and there will always be more to learn!
