Description: This native woody vine is about 8-20'
long; it can climb adjacent objects and vegetation by its twining stems. Young
stems are green and slightly hairy, while older stems become hairless and
woody. The alternate leaves are up to 6" long, 8" across, and palmately lobed.
Their margins are smooth or undulate and often bend downward. Each leaf has 3-7
shallow lobes and is somewhat angular; each lobe terminates
in a
short pointed tip. The upper surface of each leaf is dark green and somewhat
shiny, while the lower surface is light green and slightly pubescent along the
major veins. Young leaves are pubescent, but older leaves become mostly
hairless. At the base of each leaf, there is a long petiole; this petiole
connects to the underside of the leaf near the margin. There are no tendrils.
Occasionally, panicles of whitish green flowers are produced along the
non-woody stems; these panicle are up to 6" long and they hang downward from
the stem on long stalks (peduncles). Because Moonseed is dioecious, individual
vines produce either all male (staminate) or all female (pistillate) flowers.
Each male flower is up to 1/6" across, consisting of 4-8 greenish white sepals,
4-8 greenish white petals, and 12-24 stamens. The sepals are longer than the
petals, while the stamens have white filaments and yellow anthers. The female
flowers are similar to the male flowers, except that they have pistils, rather
than stamens. Each female flower has 2-4 pistils, and each pistil can develop
into a separate drupe. The blooming period occurs from late spring to early
summer and lasts about 2 weeks. The male flowers wither away shortly after
blooming, while the female flowers develop into fleshy drupes. Each drupe is up
to 3/8" across and globoid in shape, containing a single seed with a hard coat.
Mature drupes become bluish black with a white bloom during the late summer or
fall. Each seed is shaped like a broad crescent moon (hence, the common name);
this seed is somewhat flattened overall, while its outer margin is crested. The
root system consists of a woody branching taproot. This plant spreads by
reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The
preference is light shade to partial sun, moist to mesic conditions, and a
fertile loamy soil. Moonseed has few problems with disease and insect
pests.
Range & Habitat: Moonseed
is common throughout Illinois (see
Distribution
Map). Habitats include open deciduous woodlands, woodland borders,
thickets, semi-shaded riverbanks, powerline clearances in wooded areas,
overgrown fence rows, and hedges. Moonseed climbs over adjacent shrubs, the
lower branches of small trees, or fences.
Faunal
Associations: Not much is known about floral-faunal relations for
this species. The caterpillars of Plusiodonta compressipalpis (Moonseed
Moth) feed on this woody vine, while Pipilio erythrophthalmus (Eastern
Towhee) and probably other woodland birds eat the drupes. These drupes are
poisonous to humans, however. The roots and possibly the foliage are somewhat
toxic to mammalian herbivores. The clambering stems and foliage provide cover
and nesting habitat for birds.
Photographic
Location: Along a powerline clearance in Busey Woods of Urbana,
Illinois.
Comments: The leaves of
Moonseed superficially resemble those of Vitis spp. (Wild Grapes),
except they are less deeply lobed and lack serration along the margins;
Moonseed also lacks the tendrils of Wild Grapes. Two closely related species in
the same family, Calycocarpum lyonii (Cupseed) and Cocculus
carolinus (Snailseed), occur in southern Illinois. They differ primarily in
the appearance of their seeds and the shape of their leaves. As suggested by
their common names, the seeds of Cupseed are shaped like a flattened cup, while
the seeds of Snailseed are shaped like the shell of a snail. Cupseed has
palmate leaves that are deeply lobed, while Snailseed has leaves that are about
twice as long as they are wide.