Climbing plant

[annageckos]

I know better, but I have no pictures of this plant. Please forgive me... I will get a photo when I can, but it is at my mom's house, so it may be a couple of weeks till I can get over there. She moved into a wooded trailer park about a year ago and has a huge maple tree outside her door. It looks like someone tried to make a small garden around this tree. There is periwinkle (Vinca minor), I think it is. And this other plant. It grows up the maple tree, grabbing into the tree like english ivy does. It was kinda bushy when she first moved in, and more then halfway up the tree. I cut it back, but it keeps growing back, up the tree. I think the base of it is woody, but I will have to double check that. It is green all year, but I don't remember seeing any berries on it. I was thinking mistletoe, but I have never see it before that I know of and the pictures I find online are not helpful. I was hoping someone has some ideas, seeing as it climbs like it does it should narrow down the possible list. My mom lives in southern NJ too.

 

[Carol Dee]

Not Mistletoe, Mistleto is a parisitic plant that does not root in soil. I saw it growing in the wild in AZ a far bit from NJ.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistletoe < this is mistletoe

 

[so lucky]

Does it still have leaves on it? Or do you remember what the leaves look like? Are you sure it's not poison oak/poison ivy or Virginia creeper?

 

[Wisher1000]

My thoughts, exactly, So Lucky.... Virginia Creeper would be my first guess. It is bushy if cut back, has 7 (=/-) leaflets that radiate out from their anchor point and is prolific. It is not toxic like the other two, but they would also be commonly found species. There are lots of other things it could be .....yea, pics would help.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

what is the shape of the leaves you have seen? is it one solid leaf or does it have a type of whorl of many leaves? we also have america bittersweet and a chinese type that is considered invasive that tends to vine it is has something to climb up. but bittersweet gets an orange red berry if allowed to flower. i'm thinking like everyone else, it is probably a virginia creeper or Kudzu vine.

 

[catjac1975]

Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety' (Wintercreeper) This is what came to my mind from your description.

 

[annageckos]

I am sorry I took so long. I forgot I posted this. It is not virginia creeper. It looks nothing like that. Since I can't see it right now I will try to remember what it looks like. The leaves are oval/round and maybe about one to two inches long. They are also light green. The base of the plant is not real think, but woody. The newer growth is green and maybe about as think as a pencil or a little bigger. It was bushy when I first cut it back, but also clinging and climbing up the tree. It was probably about five feet tall when I first cut it, with some branches climbing at least 50 feet up the tree. It still has leaves, and if I remember correctly it stays green all year. Where ever it touches the tree it put out little 'anchors' into it. But it is easy to pull out. I think the leaves are a little fleshy, but I will have to check that. My mom doesn't have a camera, so I will have to get a photo when I get down there. It looks a little like some of the photos of Euonymus fortunei on google. But I don't think that is what it is. But thanks to catjack I know know what is outback here, there is a little of the Euonymus fortunei growing in with the lily of the valley, thanks.

 

[annageckos]

Maybe it is Euonymus fortunei, the more I look at it the more confused I get. That plant seems so variable. Some pictures show round leaves, other are long and oval. And they range in color from pale cream to yellow, to light green and very dark green. I will get a photo when I see my mom again.

 

[catjac1975]

There are many different types of Euonymus. My plant is very old -maybe 30 years. It grows in the understory of a 200 plus year old lilac. It is slowly invasive so I like where it is. It has grown up a few lilac branches nearly to the top, and also grows as a ground cover. It stays evergreen and some new growth leaves have a pinkish shade.

 

[DigginWithJon]

Climbing Hydrangea? Fiveleaf akebia, also known as chocolate vine? We need pictures!