Macfadyena unguis-cati (Cat's Claw Vine) is an invasive woody vine that can rapidly envelop a house. The plant can grow to 120' lengths, with 1/2" diameters. As the plant grows and becomes heavier, it can cause building collapse. There is a native counterpart called Bignonia capreolata (Crossvine), which may be distinguished by its reddish-orange flowers rather than the yellowish flowers of Cat's Claw Vine.Image above: Unidentifed photographer. Unidentified House, New Orleans, c. 1980. Miscellaneous Photographs Collection, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries.
3 comments:
And 2010 has also been a good year for the cat's claw vine. It must be on a 30 year cycle. That's an amazing picture. sp
It feels like every single day I have to tear down new runners of these before they totally devour my house. I certainly don't remember it being this vicious the last two years!
Longue Vue Gardens has been teaching some great Native Plants workshops. This month they did one on invasive non-natives, which included Cat's Claw Vine, and described techniques for dealing with them. They are going to be posting the information on their website soon.
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