Matelea alabamensis

Family:APOCYNACEAE
Species:Matelea alabamensis (Vail) Woodson
Common Name:Alabama Milkvine; Alabama Spinypod
Habitat:Rich woods and ravine slopes.
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Vine
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:MAAL6
Plant Notes:Alabama Milkvine is a native herbaceous perennial vine in the Dogbane family (Apocynaceae). It is found in southeastern Alabama. Alabama Milkvine occurs in hardwood or mixed pine-hardwood forests, on ravine slopes, and above steepheads. It is a perennial, herbaceous, twining vine up to 6 feet in length. The stems are green in color and pubescent. Leaves are opposite, petiolate, ovate to elliptic in outline, cordate at the base, pubescent, and entire. Both stems and leaves emit a milky white latex when injured. Flowers are produced in racemes or panicles in the axils of the leaves. The calyx is 5-lobed and green in color. The corolla is rotate with 5 triangular spreading lobes. The corolla is yellowish in color and marked with a network of conspicuous green veins. The dark yellow corona at the center of the flower forms a ring surrounding the column. Five white anther flaps create a star pattern in the center of the flower. The fruit is a spiny green follicle. The seed are flattened disc-shape with a tuft of long white hairs. Alabama Milkvine is listed as an S1 species in Alabama (typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state), and globally as an G2 species (imperiled globally because of rarity or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors).—A. Diamond.
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native, S1 (State Rank), G2 (Global Rank)
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyAPOCYNACEAE - Dogbane family
Genus Matelea
Species Matelea alabamensis (Vail) Woodson - Alabama Milkvine; Alabama Spinypod

Citation

Citation Matelea alabamensis (Vail) Woodson, Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 28(2): 234. 1941.
Basionym: Vincetoxicum alabamense Vail 1903.
Type: USA: ALABAMA: Dale Co.: Without locality, 3 Jun 1902, Harbison 6378 (holotype: NY).

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Vincetoxicum alabamense Vincetoxicum alabamense Vail, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 30: 178, pl. 9. 1903. ALABAMA: Dale Co.: Without locality, 3 Jun 1902, Harbison 6378 (holotype: NY).
Cyclodon alabamense Cyclodon alabamensis (Vail) Small, Man. S.E. Fl. 1075, 1507. 1933.Vincetoxicum alabamense Vail 1903. 

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Coffee, Dale, Henry

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AMAL, NY, TROY, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: -

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
AMAL00016575 Henry 20 May 2009 Barger, T. Wayne
82
AMAL
Matelea alabamensis (Vail) Woods
ALNHS00001100 Henry 16 May 2012 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#465
ALNHS
Matelea alabamensis (Vail) Woods.
TROY000053701 Coffee 26 May 2023 Diamond, Alvin R.
29926
TROY
Matelea alabamensis (Vail) Woodson
UWAL0030956 Henry 13 Aug 1998 Kral, Robert
87632
UWAL
Matelea alabamensis Vail.
NY00318827-01 Dale 05 Sep 1902 Thomas G. Harbison
H 6832
NY
Vincetoxicum alabamense Vail
NY00318828 Dale 03 Jun 1902 Thomas G. Harbison
H 6378
NY
Vincetoxicum alabamense Vail
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