It was the former plant that really caught out attention. Unfortunately, this plant had almost finished blooming; there were only a couple of unopened buds on each cluster. Although the flowers were not at their best, they are worth documenting. Since most of the flowers were in the shade we had to use artificial light or flash to photograph them.
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Maroon Carolina Milkweed (Matelea carolinensis): Jones County, Georgia
Maroon Carolina MIlkvine (Matelea carolinensis) that we photographed in the Piedmont NWR in Jones County, Georgia a few weeks ago.
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These photographs were taken of plants by the roadside. W walked back into the woods and found more plants that had finished blooming. We plan to return next year during the optimal blooming period to photograph these plants again.
We have identified this vine as Matalea decipiens which is known as the Oldfield Milkvine, Deceptive Spinypod, Climbing Milkweed, Angle-pod, or Climbing Red Milkweed. It is native to the United States where it may be found from Maryland to Illinois and Kansas and south to Texas. It hasn’t been documented in Mississippi, Alabama or Florida. In Georgia, it has only been officially documented in Banks and Clarke counties. Clearly, Alan Cressler has documented it in Catoosa County, Georgia. As with Matalea flavidula, this species is distributed more widely than officially documented.
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Identification resources:
Name that Plant. Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia:
- Matelea decipiens (Deceptive Spinypod)
- Matelea carolinensis (Carolina Spinypod, Climbing Milkweed)
- Comparison. M. gonocarpos, M. decipiens, M. carolinensis, M. flavidula
Missouri plants: Matelea decipiens
Alan Cressler: Matelea decipiens
J. Pippen, Duke University: Matelea decipiens (Oldfield Milkvine, Deceptive Spinypod)
Distribution:
- USDA Plants Database: Matelea decipiens (Oldfield Milkvine)
- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Matelea decipiens
Related Post:
- Maroon Carolina Milkvine (Matelea carolinensis)
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