Types of Tree Vines

USDA Zones 3 and 4

• American bittersweet, Celastrus scandens, is a native North American vine, growing to 20 feet. Bittersweet is cold hardy to zones 3 and 4, growing on trees and generating insignificant green-white flowers, but orange-yellow fruits with red berries inside. Birds can eat these berries, but they are toxic to humans. Woodbine, Clematis virginiana, can overwhelm large shrubs and small trees, growing to 20 feet. Woodbine's greatest asset is its aromatic clusters of white flowers that bloom during August through October. Woodbine works well in a naturalized area.

USDA Zone 5 and 6

• The sarsaparilla plant, Smilax hispida, also called greenbrier, grows to 40 feet across the southern and central states. Use it in USDA zones 5 and 6 in open woodlands. It has its male and female flowers on separate plants. The female specimens generate blue-black flowers that birds eat. Porcelain vine, Ampelopsis brevipendunculata, is an Asian vine that is similar to the native grape vines of North America, growing to 15 feet. Metallic blue berries that ripen by September highlight this vine, which is easily transplantable.

USDA Zone 7 and 8

• The Dutchman's pipe, Aristolochia macrophylla, features large leaves similar to the catalpa tree, growing as long as 10 inches. USDA zones 7 and 8 are the warmest zones this vine of the eastern U.S. grows into. It attains heights of 30 feet and has interesting flowers resembling smoking pipes, but the thick foliage often obscures them. A wild cross vine, Bignonia capreolata, can grow the entire height of a large tree, up to 70 feet on occasion. Cross vine generates aromatic, orange-red flowers looking like tiny trumpets during the springtime. Cross vine in zones 7 and 8 is evergreen to semi-evergreen.

USDA Zone 9

• The crimson glory vine, Vitis coignetiae, is a type of grape vine capable of making it to heights of 100 feet. It is an ornamental vine for USDA zone 9, hailing from Japan and producing large leaves. Its main attraction is its crimson foliage in the fall months. Japanese beetles find the foliage desirable, making them a feared pest of this species. The dark colored berries of the Virginia creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, attract birds. An option for shady spots in zone 9, Virginia creeper grows up into a tree to 50 feet high. Its leaves undergo color changes as they develop -- from purplish in spring, to green by summer and finally to purple and red in autumn.