Any idea what type of vine this is??

My sister has two of these vines growing in her yard, was probably brought in by birds. They have red berries on them that the birds seem to love.

vines are 6 to 8 feet tall and about 3 feet across growing on a wood fence.

Here is another picture

It looks like "Purple Nightshade Vine" which botanically is named Solanum xanti. It is a perennial vine that grows all over North America.

most likely Solanum species...either seaforthium, or dulcamara

seaforthium: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/31445/

dulcamara: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/68211/

solanum wendlandii has larger, flatter flowers and they are usually a lighter color of purple:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/31442/

oops, sorry Kay...we cross posted :0)

I think it's most likely S. dulcamara--that's a very common weed across much of the country. It's definitely not S. xanti, I grow that one and it's a shrub rather than a vine. Also it's not naturally occurring outside the west coast (unless the USDA database is way off) S. seaforthianum and S. wendlandii also do not occur naturally in WV and both are unlikely to last the winter there (only hardy to zone 8)

taj-
just be sure to warn your sister if she has small children. The plant is poisonous.

Thanks so much for the info. I wondered if it could be poisonous as she has several grandkids that play in her yard. Will pass on the info.

Thanks again
Tim

There's also this one which I have.

Solanum crispum 'Glasnevin'

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55479/

That one's also unlikely if it's a bird sown plant since it doesn't occur naturally in WV.

Migrating bird with slow digestion? Also, doesn't have to be native to the area to be bird sown if someone else in area has brought it in.

This message was edited Aug 17, 2008 11:42 AM

When I said naturally occurring, I was meaning anything that grows in the wild there, could be native or introduced (I use the USDA plants database to see what occurs where, and their database includes both native and introduced plants). And since 'Glasnevin' doesn't occur there in the wild and it's not hardy in WV so it's less likely to be grown at all, I think it's much more likely that it's a different Solanum. (Also I have 'Glasnevin' and the flowers don't look the same to me). I'm still sticking by S. dulcamara, the leaves and flowers look right and it's a very common weed in that area (and many others) so it would not be at all surprising to have a bird leave one in someone's yard.