Common Moonseed is a flowering, scrambling, woody vine that will typically grow to 20 feet long at maturity, twining its way through the vegetation. It is native to woods, thickets, hillsides, bluffs and along streams from Quebec in Canada, south to Mexico. It is fairly common in North Carolina. Where no support structures are available, it will spread for an indefinite length along the ground forming a dense ground cover 12 inches tall. The greenish-white flowers bloom in late spring and the grape-like fruits that are produced on female plants and poisonous to humans, ripen to black in the fall.The genus name comes from the Greek words for the crescent moon and seed, in reference to the shape of the seed. The species name refers to Canada, part of the native range of this plant. Common Moonseed does best in sandy or moderately fertile, well drained, soils with medium moisture in sun dappled or partially shaded sites. If grown in an area with hot, summer climates, you should avoid exposure to full sun. The Common Moonseed spreads by means of rhizomes. You can propagate the plant by division of the rhizomes or by seed. The plant is typically grown as a twining vine on a support structure, but can be grown along the ground as a ground cover and to help prevent soil erosion on banks. The plant does not require pruning, but it can be cut back to the ground every few years to keep it under control. These plants are dioecious and require both male and female plants in order for female plants to produce seed. The fruit clusters can be confused with wild grapes and given the toxicity of Common Moonseed fruit, that can be dangerous. Examine the fruit to establish the difference between Common Moonseed (a single crescent-shaped seed) and wild grapes (round seeds). Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 8 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
The long-petioled leaves are alternate, simple, long-stalked, palmately lobed with shallow to rounded lobes. Leaves are 3 to 8 inches wide with a broad rounded shape and 3 to 7 shallow lobes, bright green above but downy pale green below.
Flower color
Green; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Occasionally, 5 to 6 inch panicles of small, whitish to yellowish green flowers 1/6 of an inch across are produced along the non-woody stems. These panicles are sometimes irregular in shape. They hang downward from the stems of this vine on long stalks. The plant blooms from May to August. Male (staminate) flowers have 12 to 24 stamens and female (pistillate) flowers have 6 to 12 staminodes and 2 to 4 separate ovaries. The flower color tends to blend in with the surrounding foliage.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Black; Blue
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Mature drupes grow in grape-like clusters and become bluish black with a whitish bloom from July to October. Each fruit contains a single crescent moon shaped seed, lending the plant its name. The fruit is poisonous and its flavor is rank and unpleasant. Female plants require nearby male plants to produce seed.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Tangled stems are green to brownish red and slightly hairy when young, while older stems become hairless and woody.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
South Central & South East Canada to North East Mexico
Distribution
Forest or natural areas, in moist woods of eastern North America from Quebec and New England to Georgia, west to Arkansas and Oklahoma and south into Mexico.
Wildlife value
The caterpillars of Plusiodonta compressipalpis (Moonseed Moth) sever the leaves of this vine, feeding on them after they become dry. The larvae of a long-horned beetle, Hyperplatys aspersa, bore through its wood, where they are found underneath the bark. Both the roots and foliage are toxic to mammalian herbivores.
Attracts
Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Drupe
Edibility
Fruit is poisonous to humans and should never be eaten.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Used by many people groups for a variety of medicinal uses, particularly by the Cherokee