Black Swallow-Wort (Vincetoxicum nigrum) |
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| Habit: Herbaceous perennials; both range from 0.6-1.8 m (2-6 ft) tall. Leaves: Simple, opposite, narrow, oblong to ovate with a pointed tip; dark green leaves with a smooth, waxy coating; emits a pungent herbal smell when crushed. Stems:Twining; may climb or creep around adjacent plants. Flowers: Small, five-petaled, clustered in leaf axils; bloom June-August; slight rotting odor; V. nigrum: purple-black with straight white hairs on dorsal surface; peduncles 0.3-3 cm; V. rossicum: pale to dark maroon, purple or pink, glabrous; peduncles 2-5 mm. Fruit and seeds: Seed pods resemble those of milkweed; pods split open in mid-summer to release wind-borne seeds. Habitat: Native to southern Europe, now found in hardwood forests, shaded woods, open prairies, fields, savannas, roadsides; can tolerate a range of light and soil conditions. Reproduction: By seed; vegetatively by rhizomes and shoots from root crown of parent plant. Similar species: Native dogbanes (Apocynum spp.) have similar seedpods but are not vines. Comments: Grows rapidly over native vegetation; wind-dispersed seed travels long distances. Monitoring and rapid response: Monitor disturbed sites and also edges and paths in undisturbed sites; populations most visible in late summer when the leaves turn golden and seedpods appear. Hand-pulling difficult as roots are fragile—digging preferred, remove roots from site. Foliar herbicide treatment provides effective control; cut-stem herbicide application provides slightly less effective control and is labor intensive. Prescribed fire is not effective when used alone and may improve conditions for increased germination; fire may be useful following herbicide application to control seedlings with less developed root systems. Remove and burn seedpods; multi-year monitoring and follow-up required. Please report sightings with GPS positions to Dr. DiTommaso at: ad97@cornell.edu |
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Species Summary
| Common Name: | Black Swallow-Wort |
| Scientific Name: | Vincetoxicum nigrum |
| Family: | Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed Family) |
| Duration: | Perennial |
| Habit: | Herb |
| USDA Symbol: | CYLO11 |
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Resources
MISIN Factsheets |
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Databases |
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| USDA Plants: | Vincetoxicum nigrum |
| NatureServe: | Vincetoxicum nigrum |
| Weeds US: | Vincetoxicum nigrum |
Images |
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| Bugwood Network: | Vincetoxicum nigrum |
| Google Images: | Vincetoxicum nigrum |