Flower profile

Climbing hempvine

Mikania scandens

Native in the lower 48

Climbing hempvine is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in August–October.

28states

4of our state lists

14,850U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi

Quick look

Mikania scandens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Its common names include climbing hempvine, climbing hempweed, and louse-plaster. It is native to the eastern and central United States, with its distribution extending into Tamaulipas, Mexico. Reports of its presence in Ontario, Canada are erroneous.
From Wikipedia's article Mikania scandens, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a vine with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 28 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. ^NatureServe
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–December. ^iNaturalist
In Louisiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in September–November. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as summer. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 1 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 3,257 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #88 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,092 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #21 among the 109 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 649 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #94 among the 111 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist

Climbing hempvine gift ideas

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,421 records)

Bloom time in each of our 4 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	May–December	3,257
Louisiana	Native	September–November	1,092
Alabama	Native	August–October	649
Mississippi	Native	August–October	424

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S5, secure in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IN (S1), ME (SH), MI (S1), NH (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records climbing hempvine in 28 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia; District of Columbia.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Bay, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gilchrist, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, Washington.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia, Hale, Henry, Lamar, Lawrence, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, St. Clair, Tuscaloosa, Washington, Wilcox, Winston.

More Florida flowers

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White beggarticks

Bidens alba

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Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MISC.
iNaturalist, Mikania scandens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Mikania scandens (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Mikania scandens (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: jfox16 via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.