Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains, Red Prairie
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands
Plant Characteristics
Growth Form
Vine
Height
3
to
15
ft.
Spread
.5
to
1
ft.
Leaf Retention
Deciduous
Lifespan
Perennial
Habitat and Care Requirements
Soil Type(s)
Sand, Loam, Clay, Moist, Neutral
Light Requirement
Part Shade
Water Requirement
Low
Native Habitat
Woodland
Bloom and Attraction
Bloom Color
Green
Bloom Season
Summer
Seasonal Interest
Berry
Wildlife Benefit
Birds
Maintenance
Root system shallow/suckering. Best in a naturalistic garden where some spreading is appreciated. Will need to be thinned in smaller areas so as not compete with other plants. Propagation: Seed.
Comments
Blooms June-August. Common fast-growing, but short-lived, vine with deep green heart shaped leaves. Climbs by twining stems, does not have stickers; clusters of lustrous red berries Sept-Nov. Stems are not very woody and easily broken. Dies back considerably each season. Birds eat the red berries.
1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=COCA. 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Cocculus+carolinus&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=14994&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt.
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