Crossvine

Bignonia capreolata

This vine’s name, crossvine, refers to the Greek cross shape produced when the stem is cut, produced by four wedges of phloem. Its long tubular flowers, deep red on the outsides and often yellow on the inside of the flared lobes, smell of mocha. Though native to east Texas, the vine spreads easily via stolons and can become invasive if not managed properly. Crossvine’s tendrils have small claws at the end that allow it to cling to brick walls. 

Its tubular flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, which visit the plant for nectar. People have used the plant too. The Cherokee used an infusion of the semi-evergreen leaves to ‘purify the blood.’ The Koasati used the same infusion for rheumatism, and a bark decoction for headaches. The Choctaw used a decoction of the mashed bark as a steambath for dropsy. In 1789, William Bartram observed that ‘The country people of Carolina crop these vines to pieces, together with china brier and sassafras roots, and boil them in their beer in the spring, for diet drink, in order to attenuate and purify the blood and juices.’ Today, researchers have extracted reserpine, a drug used to treat high blood pressure, from the vine.