Pale Swallow-wort, European Swallow-wort

Growth Form:  Vine

General:   Herbaceous, perennial vine twines 3-6 feet high.

Flowers:   Maroon to pink with 5, pointed, hairless, triangular petals that are twice as long as wide.

Fruits and Seeds:   Milkweed-like, slender and tapered, 1 - 3 inches long turn brown when ripe, wind dispersed; Seed on silky filaments. Reproduction primarily by seed; plants may resprout from buds located on root crown.

Leaves:   Dark green, shiny, opposite, 1 - 4 inches long, toothless, narrowly to broadly oval-shaped with pointed tips.

Stems or Branches:   Single, sometimes branching.

Threatens:   Threatens most upland community types including woodlands, forests, grasslands, and savannas; can persist in sun or shade.

Look-Alikes:   Milk & Honey Vine (Blue Vine), Cynanchum leave (Ampelamus albidum); flowers cream or yellowish white, stems and leaves with a milky sap, base of leaf blades heart-shaped.

Distribution:   Native to the Ukraine region of Eastern Europe. Has been reported in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Indiana, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Michigan.

Other Links:  

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/invasives/fact/swallowwort_pale.htm
http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/cyro1.htm