Types of Vines With Milky Sap

Evergreens

• Evergreen vines keep their foliage year-round. Confederate or star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) grows from 10 to 15 feet long and twines with the help of small roots. This evergreen blooms with white, aromatic spring flowers and tolerates drought, heat and wind. Confederate jasmine is hardy in zones 8 to 10 and prefers sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. It exudes milky sap.

  The arrowhead vine (Syngonium podophyllum) grows wild throughout many areas in the southeastern United States and is considered an aggressive, invasive species in Florida. This thick, heavy vine has arrowhead-shaped foliage in a range of colors, from white and green variegation to dark green on top and pale green on the bottom. Arrowhead vine climbs up trees or grows as a thick ground cover with numerous tough roots, and it exudes milky sap.

Mandevillas

• Two types of mandevilla vines (Mandevilla splendens and M. x amabalis) have milky sap. These toxic vines are tropical perennials usually grown as annuals or cultivated in containers. They grow from 8 to 10 feet tall and produce 3- to 4-inch pink to red flowers. Mandevillas thrive with morning sun and afternoon shade and moist, well-drained soil. Bring these tender vines inside during cooler months.

Wild

• Some wild vine species have milky sap. The climbing milkweed, or maroon Carolina milkvine (Matelea carolinensis), grows wild along stream banks and in deciduous woodlands in the southeastern United States. It produces five-petaled, deep maroon flowers from spring through early summer and has 2- to 4-inch heart-shaped foliage. This twining vine has milky sap.

  The climbing dogbane (Trachelospermum difforme) grows wild in wetlands, lowlands and flood plains across the eastern United States. This deciduous, twining vine has a variety of foliage types on the same plant, from long, narrow fronds to small ovals. The climbing dogbane blooms with fragrant yellow to green flowers and produces thin, hairy, red seed pods. Leaves exude milky sap.

Ipomoea

• Several members of the morning glory family (Ipomoea spp.) have milky sap. The common morning glory (I. purpurea) grows from 10 to 16 feet long and flowers from midsummer through autumn with blue, purple, red and white flowers that open in the morning and die after a few hours. This twining, deciduous vine grows best in sandy, poor soil. The Japanese morning glory (I. nil) grows to 15 feet long and prefers full sun and well-drained, sandy soil. It produces blue, purple, red, pink and white flowers and comes in a range of cultivars. The morning glory (I. tricolor) prefers sun to partial shade and poor soil. This tender perennial is grown as an annual. It blooms with red-purple and deep blue flowers from summer through fall and grows from 8 to 15 feet long.