Peppervine is a native deciduous vine in the Vitaceae (grape) family that is found mainly in the NC coastal plain in wet areas as bogs and along stream banks. In summer, small, 5-petaled green flowers are borne on short cymes that are followed by a blue-black drupe that matures in late summer to early fall. This plant prefers moist soil and can take full sun to light shade. However, the best fruiting is when it gets full sun. Peppervine is best left in its native habitat to help feed wildlife as it will overtake a garden area. If you find this plant in your garden it is best to pull it out in the spring before flowering occurs. Fire Risk: This plant has a high flammability rating and should not be planted within the defensible space of your home. Select plants with a low flammability rating for the sites nearest your home. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: This plant spreads quickly, its seeds being spread by birds and small mammals.
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.
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
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 20 ft. 0 in. - 35 ft. 0 in. | Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
6 - Vine (vertical)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Spreading
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are alternate, bi-pinnately divided and up to 6 inches long and wide. 1-3 pairs of leaflets are ovate and coarsely toothed. Newly emerged leaves are purple-red and change to a light green to dark green as they reach mature size. Foliage turns red in fall. Undersides are a lighter green.
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Green; White
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Peppervine has inconspicuous greenish-white flowers in flat-topped clusters from June through August.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Black; Blue; Green; Red/Burgundy; White
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Fleshy round berries mature in fall. They gradually change from green to red to blue-black and often have all colors in a cluster. They are up to 5/8 inch in diameter.
Bark color
Light Gray
Stem color
Red/Burgundy
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
S.E US
Distribution
AL , AR , DC , FL , GA , IL , IN , KY , LA , MD , MO , MS , NC , NM , OH , OK , TN , TX , VA , WV
Wildlife value
Its fleshy fruits are eaten by songbirds and small and large mammals. White-tailed deer browse the leaves and twigs. Wherever the feasting birds and mammals go, peppervine seeds are spread in their droppings..