Download Common Name: Peppervine Scientific Name: Nekemias arborea

Common Name: Peppervine
Scientific Name: Nekemias arborea
Order: Rhamnales
Family: Vitaceae
USDA Wetland Classification:
Facultative
Ecology & Description
Peppervine is a deciduous woody vine
that can also develop into a bushy
shrub. The leaves of this plant are alternate and pinnately compound. They are 10-25 cm long
and wide and can be either twice or three times divided. The leaflets are 2-5 cm long and 1-3 cm
wide. They can be oval or diamond-shaped and have large serrated teeth. Peppervine flowers
form in flat clusters that are 2-4 cm wide, each with five yellow-green petals. Berries are
spherical, 6-10 mm wide, and turn from green to shiny red or black. Peppervine will spread via
vine growth or by animals eating the seeds.
Habitat
Peppervine is most commonly found in wet to moist bottomland forests, along streams and
rivers. It has also been known to grown in moist forest soils.
Distribution
The range of Peppervine stretches from Texas to Florida, and southern Virginia and west Illinois
and Oklahoma to the Gulf Coast. It is, however, rare in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
Native/Invasive Status
Peppervine is a native plant in the lower 48 states in the United States, as well as Puerto Rico.
However, because of its growth behavior, it can be invasive.
Wildlife Uses
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) will eat Peppervine foliage, but the plant is
considered to be only a minor portion of their diet (2-5%). It only makes up 5-10% of the diet of
small mammals. In the summer, however, the fruits are eaten by many wildlife species,
especially raccoons (Procyon lotor).
Management & Control Techniques
If unwanted peppervine is growing in a small area, hand-pulling the plants is the best option for
removal. This should be done in the spring before the plants have the chance to flower and
produce seed. Herbicide is another option, especially if the taproot is deep or the area is large.
Regardless of the method of control, it should be done consistently over the course of two years
to ensure it is completely removed from the area.
References
Kimbrough, M. G. M. 2008. Peppervine (Ampelopsis arborea). Texas AgriLife Extension
Service, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Online. <http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2008/jan08/Peppervine.html> Accessed 11
August 2015.
Miller, J. H. and K. V. Miller. 1999. Forest plants of the southeast and their wildlife uses. The
University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA. 454 pp.
United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service. 2015. Online.
<http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=NEAR5> Accessed 11 August 2015.
This document was authored by Dr. Heidi Adams, School of Forestry, Louisiana Tech
University, August 2015.