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Peppervine

Nekemias arborea

Found in swamp forests, marshes, wet thickets, moist to wet maritime forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not scored

Native status: sources disagree, under review. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
20–35 feet
Spread
8–10 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 9 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

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At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Summer
Fruiting season
September to October

County records are not available.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 3

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

Freshwater marshes

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

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 119 animals.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Ampelopsis

  • Acoloithus falsariusClemens' False Skeletonizer Moth
  • Alypia octomaculataEight-Spot Forester, 8-Spot Forester
  • Amphion floridensisNessus Sphinx
  • Darapsa myronVirginia Creeper Sphinx
  • Deidamia inscriptumLettered Sphinx
  • Eudryas grataBeautiful Wood-Nymph
  • Eulithis gracilineataGreater Grapevine Looper
  • Eumorpha achemonAchemon Sphinx
  • Eumorpha pandorusPandorus Sphinx, Pandora Sphinx
  • Harrisina americanaGrapeleaf Skeletonizer Moth
Show all 13
  • Monochroa absconditellaStrawberry Crown Miner
  • Sphecodina abbottiiAbbott's Sphinx
  • Bucculatrix quinquenotella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Ampelopsis

  • Gallinula galeataCommon Gallinule
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Vitaceae
Hardiness
Zones 7a–9b
Flower color
Green or white
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Ampelopsis arborea

Conservation status

West Virginia rankSNA
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources