ID Please!

This vine comes up every year behind my shed. It is very unusual. It looks like a rex begonia leaf but it is a vine. The leaves are a velvety texture and the back is a solid purple/red color.

I wonder if it is this - Dioscorea dodecaneura

http://www.ufrgs.br/fitoecologia/florars/open_sp.php?img=933

http://www.ufrgs.br/fitoecologia/florars/open_sp.php?img=10495

I can't believe you found this so quickly. I have been searching forever for what it is. How did you know? It is exactly this. This vine is stunning and hardy, but it does not take over my garden. It really loves it between my shed and fence. However, I started some up front which gets morning sun and a bit of south sun and it is doing great. Thank you. I was a bit worried that it was some kind of weed or toxic vine.

Is this the elephant foot plant? Or a relative. Does it get what looks like little eggs on it?

The leaf shape reminded me of Dioscorea and just looking over all the images on line I found something that looked similar to your mystery plant. Once I put in the full name, many more images kind of confirmed it.

i believe the name has changed to D. discolor now: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1350/

it is a relative of the nasty and highly invasive "air potato". this weekend, in lake county, thousands of beetles were released into the wild that live exclusively on this vine. it isn't as bad as kudzu, maybe, but florida is finally trying to get a handle on it.

the D. discolor is not so invasive and is beautiful!

Trackinsand...........please don't tell me this is invasive like the air potato vine! I have seen the destruction of that vine. This vine seems to stay in one spot. It comes back every year. It is beautiful when the morning sun shines thru the leaves. It does seem like I have seen something like tiny little brown eggs in the back of the shed, but I don't think it is from this vine. If it is evasive like the air potato, then I am going to kill every bit of it!

For your sake I sure hope its not air potato vine.

Also, I hope those beetles do their job and we haven't brought in another exotic that's harmful in other ways.

Bonnie

it is a relative; not the air potato.