| Pale Swallowwort | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Apocynaceae |
| Subfamily: | Asclepiadaceae |
| Genus: | Cynanchum |
| Species: | C. rossicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Cynanchum rossicum |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Vincetoxicum rossicum[1] |
|
Cynanchum rossicum is a flowering plant of the milkweed family. It is a perennial herb native to southern Europe. It has several common names including swallowwort, pale swallowwort, and dog-strangling vine.
It is a twining vine that grows to heights of 60–200 cm (2.0–6.6 ft). The glossy, dark green leaves grow opposite on the stem and are ovate to elliptical. The flowers appear near the top of the plant and grow on stalks that come from the leaf axils. Each stalk has 5 to 20 flowers. The flowers are dark purple or dark brown. After a year of growth, the stem turns light brown and resembles a decaying stem and stops growing, yet it remains to cling onto the plant.
The plant spreads its seeds by wind dispersal.
C. rossicum is a highly invasive plant growing in all of the Eastern United States, and commonly found in the mid west. It is also found in Southern Ontario. It is commonly found along with poison ivy plants.[1]