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WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Matelea carolinensis
FAMILY
Apocynaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Carolina Spinypod at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Matelea carolinensis
FAMILY
Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 157-03-005:
Matelea carolinensis FAMILY Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Gonolobus carolinensis
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Odontostephana carolinensis
COMMON NAME:
Carolina Spinypod, Climbing Milkweed, Climbing Milkvine, Maroon Carolina Milkvine
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_vica9_001_lvd
)
Alan S. Weakley asw_952059262810737
May Granville County NC
Corolla lobes in a horizontal plane or reflexed, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
)
JK Marlow jkm210516_0392
May Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
Corolla not reticulate with darker veins, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
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JK Marlow jkm220517_7922
May Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
Stems hairy, leaking milky sap when broken, per Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019).
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JK Marlow jkm220517_7923
May Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmcarolinensis_761
May
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Patrick D. McMillan pdmmcarolinensis_762c
May
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmcarolinensis_glass2
May Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Corolla dark maroon (rarely maroon-yellow or yellow), per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_m_carolinensis_3
May
Paired corona appendages always higher than the alternating corona lobes, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
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JK Marlow jkm0506m_10
June Union County SC
Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District
Leaves ovate, with acuminate apices & cordate or sagittate bases, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
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JK Marlow jkm080608_027b
June Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm190604_8867
June Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
JK Marlow jkm190604_8980
June Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
Fresh Matelea leaves do not have a strong odor when crushed; Gonolobus's do, per Weakley's Flora (2018).
)
JK Marlow jkm230606_3835
June Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Calyx lobes pubescent, 2-3mm long. Buds short-ovoid, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
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Wesley Burnett gwb919_1508
June? Oconee County SC
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Wesley Burnett gwb919_1510
June? Oconee County SC
Corolla lobes are ovate-rounded & 2-2.5x as long as wide, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
COMPARE
Anglepod and Spinypod (Climbing Milkweed)
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_matelea_carolinensisa
July
Corolla lobes in a horizontal plane or slightly reflexed, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
JK Marlow jkm080914_042
September Greenville County SC
Field
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JK Marlow jkm080914_053
September Greenville County SC
Field
Follicles muricate, usually 9-11cm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
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JK Marlow s080914_e
September Greenville County SC
Field
)
Bill Stringer wcs071020_016
October Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
The surface of the follicle is roughened by pointed spines, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Bill Stringer wcs071020_017
October Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Pods are sharply spiny, from 4 to 6" long, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Matelea carolinensis
FAMILY
Apocynaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Matelea carolinensis
FAMILY
Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 157-03-005:
Matelea carolinensis
FAMILY
Asclepiadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Gonolobus carolinensis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Odontostephana carolinensis
919
Herbaceous vine (twining)
Perennial
Habitat: Moist to dry, nutrient-rich forests, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Piedmont & GA Mountains (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
DOES THE PLANT HAVE "MILKY SAP"?
Has milky sap (latex)
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Follicle surface rough, with small sharp projections ("muricate")
LEAVES:
Simple
Opposite
Leaves cordate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Maroon
(rarely yellow)
Radially symmetrical
5-merous
5-lobed rotate corolla
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Follicle
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p202
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p251
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p430
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p477
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p070
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p205
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p053
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p195
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p232
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p129
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