Native Oklahoma Vining Plants

Oklahoma is home to many hardy vining plants that are known for their creeping, trailing qualities. Grown in a wide range of shapes, sizes and bloom colors, they are ideal grown along garden walls, fences and outdoor structures like arbors and pergolas. Many native Oklahoma vine plants thrive in most soil types, as long as they are well-drained. They require several hours of sunlight per day to thrive.

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata L.) is a climbing, woody vine that climbs using its tendrils and is native to Oklahoma. It bears funnel-shaped, 5-lobed, red or orange, spring-blooming flowers that grow over 1-inch long and are followed by the flattened, pod-like fruit capsules. The oblong to lance-shaped, dark green foliage on crossvines grows up to 6-inches long and over 2-inches wide. Fall brings to the crossvine foliage a red-to-purple hue that creates a striking display. According to Oklahoma State University, the common name refers to the fact that a cut stem often shows a dark cross-like center."

Winter grape (Vitis vulpina L.), also called fox grape, is a high-climbing vine that is noted for its thick trunk. The red, woody tendrils of winter grape hold a sharp-toothed, bright green foliage that is coarse and irregular. Winter grape vines bear a 15-centimeter-long inflorescence or panicle that emerges in spring and is followed by the 1- to 5-millimeter wide, black fruit that ripens in fall. Native to many parts of Oklahoma, the word "vulpine" refers to a fox, which is known to enjoy the fruit of this grape vine species.

Yellow Honeysuckle (Lonicera flava Sims) is a vining, trailing, woody vine that is native to eastern Oklahoma. It's noted for its pale- to deep-green foliage that ranges in shape from elliptic and obovate to glabrous. It grows 5- to 12-centimeters long and up to 6-centimeters wide. The smooth, tan yellow stems on the honeysuckle become gray as the vine ages and produces shredding bark. The spring-blooming, yellow-to-pale-orange flowers on yellow honeysuckle are bilaterally symmetric and bloom in late spring to last into summer. Following the flowers are the red to orange fruit that grow 5- to 10-millimeters wide and ripen in late summer to early fall.