Solved What is this vine and how do I best kill it?

Discussion in 'Identification Area' started by Graham B, Aug 29, 2018.

  1. Graham B

    Graham B Gardener

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    It's invaded a corner of my garden, and is trying for more. It grows very fast, and uses tendrils to cling onto everything. Doesn't look like any of the usual suspects to me though, and googling for invasive creepers and vines hasn't found anything, so I'm hoping someone here would know.

    Ultimately I'm going to blitz the area with weedkiller, Aliens style. (Nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.) But I'd like to know if there's anything else I need to be worried about, like whether I need to cover a wider area to catch spreading roots. 15355749944462.jpg 15355749692391.jpg 15355749430160.jpg
     
  2. Mike Allen

    Mike Allen Total Gardener

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    Just a guess. Check out Porcelain Berry.
     
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    • Graham B

      Graham B Gardener

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      Thanks Mike.

      I did find that when I was searching, but the leaves don't look the same. Images I've found look more like grape leaves. (Wikipedia at Ampelopsis glandulosa - Wikipedia is very grapey.) Are there variants with different leaves, do you know?

      That said, it looks like the same kind of treatment I was planning anyway. Systemic foliar weedkiller, and plenty of it.
       
    • Mike Allen

      Mike Allen Total Gardener

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      Graham, it was the leaves I concentrated on. Your second photo, the large leaf, like four fingers. I'm sure members will come up with the right answer. All the best.
       
    • Silver surfer

      Silver surfer PLANTAHOLIC

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      Bryonia dioica..common name English Mandrake etc.
      Leaf variable.
      It is a scrambling climber in the cucumber family


      Bryony (White) / White Bryony - Wild Flower Finder

      White Bryony, Bryonia dioica

      Bryonia dioica - Wikipedia

      Quote wiki...".Bryonia dioica, known by the common names red bryony and white bryony,[1] also English mandrake or ladies' seal

      In medieval times the plant was thought to be an antidote for leprosy"

      Quote RHS....

      "To distinguish between the two, white bryony has five-lobed leaves, larger flowers and tendrils, whereas black bryony has heart-shaped leaves, tiny flowers and no tendrils."

      See RHS for advice re control.
      It has a huge tuber...maybe start with getting that out.

      Bryony/RHS Gardening
       
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        Last edited: Aug 29, 2018
      • Mike Allen

        Mike Allen Total Gardener

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        Well done Silver Surfer. I should have gone to Specsavers.
         
      • JWK

        JWK Gardener Staff Member

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        Silver surfer is right about the huge root, hence it's other common name Devil's Turnip. It is very invasive and can quickly strangle other plants.
         
      • Graham B

        Graham B Gardener

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        Thanks Silver Surfer - awesome finding all that info.

        Looks like I've got a fight on my hands then, based on what the RHS site says. For their weedkiller tactic I've done a similar trick with bindweed in the past, where I've put all the plant I could find into a plastic bag and then filled the bag with weedkiller. I'd better get to it before it goes dormant for winter though.

        Cheers guys.
         
      • Graham B

        Graham B Gardener

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        Devil's Turnip sounds like it should come from a Blackadder script...
         
      • Mike Allen

        Mike Allen Total Gardener

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        Well Graham at last you know. Now to get rid of it. Although tedious, I'd try and remove the berries, perhaps even laying out some kind of sheeting beneath the plant. Then I'd cut the plant close to the ground. Gather up the plant and burn. Now dig out the root. Heep an eye on the soil and lose no time in removing any new growth. No chemicals.
         
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