What Kind of Vines Can Kill a Bush?

Asiatic Bittersweet

• Asiatic bittersweet is native to Asia but was introduced to the U.S. in the mid-1800s. It thrives in almost any setting, from forest woodlands to rocky plains. The plant has a twining habit and forms brown or dark brown vines and green oval leaves that range in length from 1 inch to 5 inches. The plant produces yellowish-green fruit capsules that split open in the fall, revealing reddish-orange berries. The plant grows to 50 feet long and kills other plants by choking them or crushing them with its weight.

Dog-strangling Vine

• Dog-strangling vine, or swallowwort, also adapts to many habitats, but it is more likely to become invasive in sunny areas with moist soil. It has elongated oval green leaves, purple flowers, seed pods and fluffy seeds resembling milkweed. Dog-strangling vine forms dense colonies, choking out small plants. It climbs over shrubs, causing deformities or even death due to its weight.

Dodder Vine

• Dodder vine, also known as hellbine, goldthread or strangleweed, is a bright yellow to orange vine that uses other plants as a food source. Dodder vine cannot produce chlorophyll on its own. It must find a host plant within days of germination, or it will die. It feeds on many native plants, as well as vegetable crops, and wraps its leafless vines tightly around the plant. It inserts tiny rootlets into the plant's stems to steal nutrients.

Japanese Honeysuckle

• Japanese honeysuckle has a dense, rapidly growing form that can quickly overtake and consume shrubs and even trees. It grows in fields, along roadsides and at the edge of forest woodlands. It has elongated oval leaves, white to yellow flowers and purple berries. Native honeysuckles are not as invasive and have red to orange berries.