Ok, What in The World Is It?

I have recently discovered a very aggressive vine in my tree line. Ive looked at as many invasive plant identification sites as I can, but NOTHING looks like this stuff. I also have what looks like some sort of air potato growing among it, but its a completely different plant!

To describe it, the leaves are a dark, dull green, singular. and they are shaped (for lack of a better comparison) like the outline of a butternut squash? I'll get a pic as soon as I can, but sprayed it yesterday with roundup, and while the air potato seems to be wilting, this stuff doesnt look the least bit phased!

Any chance it's this? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/151790/ If not, can you get a picture? It's much easier to ID things from a photo than a description.

this is a pic of one of two vines taking over the treeline.

It's some kind of briar, genus Smilax. There are many that grow in Florida, but it may be this one, Smilax bona-nox

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SMBO2



More Florida Smilax species:

http://plants.usda.gov/java/stateSearch?searchTxt=smilax&searchType=Sciname&stateSelect=US12&searchOrder=1&imageField.x=0&imageField.y=0

seems to be a smilax called 'Earleaf Greenbriar'.. and its everywhere. there is no way I an possibly dig it all up

Smilax auriculata and bona-nox are very similar, here's a page about the similarities. They're both native to Florida, not considered invasive.

http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/smau.html

well, THEy may not consider it invasive, but its starting to swallow small shriubs, trees.. and children. there is literally miles og this stuff now...LOL

Things that aren't invasive can still be thugs in the garden...just because it's a native doesn't mean it's necessarily going to behave nicely in a garden setting.

I have dug this vine out of several places in my yard - the tubers are as big as gallon jugs! I have used a hatchet to chop away at them, but they are as tough as wood, so I ended up pouring weed killer on the tubers - didn't phase them - they still produce vines - it's an every day job to keep the vines cut away!

Kay, try boiling water. I read in another thread that boiling water will kill the dandelion root. Maybe it will work on your problem

Oh, no - boiling water would not work - these are tubers the size of large sweet potatoes, and many setting, one on top of the other. Digging is the only way to get rid of this vine!