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Climbing Hempweed

Mikania scandens

Found in marshes, swamp forests, wet thickets, streambanks, seepages. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

55
Strong

Native to Mississippi (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
About 1 foot
Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to standing water
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
June to October
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle

Recorded in 78 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 5

Swamps

The Land of Evangeline
Joseph Rusling Meeker, The Land of Evangeline (1874): moss-hung trees over a still bayou in Louisiana swamp forest. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Louisiana bayou country (Meeker, The Land of Evangeline, 1874), a neighboring state.The Land of Evangeline, Joseph Rusling Meeker, 1874. Public domain. Source record.

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

Seeps and springs

Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food. 111 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (33)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Mississippi

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

12CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Mikania

  • Calephelis virginiensisNorthern Metalmark
  • Condica confederataThe Confederate
  • Condica cupentiaSplotched Groundling
  • Cosmosoma myrodoraScarlet-Bodied Wasp Moth
  • Digrammia continuataCurve-Lined Angle
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Glaphyria basiflavalisBasal-Dash Glaphyria Moth
  • Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
  • Omiodes indicataBean-Leaf Webworm Moth
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
Show all 12
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Adaina bipunctatus
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
28BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Mikania

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single crown
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Climbing Hempvine; Slimbing Hempweed

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNR
Global rankG5
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Sources