On Sat, 01 May 2004 23:13:12 -0400, Gwen Morse
wrote:

On Sat, 1 May 2004 19:30:15 -0400, "Mike LaMana"
fake@MikeatHeartwoodConsultingdotnet wrote:

Need leaves or at least other aerial parts, but...my bet is Asiatic
bittersweet Celestrus orbiculatus

They don't have any leaves (yet).

My wild guess is Virginia Creeper [Woodbine-- Parthenocissus
quinquefolia or P. inserta] , but it is just a wild guess.


When you write "network of underground and barely-surface vines" it
makes me think of Virginia Creeper.

But when you write "They'll spiral around other plants" it sounds like
bittersweet. If it is more a random matting with some light
twisting-- and maybe some suckers that attach to wood posts or
branches-- then I'd go with Virginia Creeper. But if it appears to be
actually 'choking' what it is climbing on I'd go for bittersweet.

If you've ever seen your plants leafed out, search for
Virginia Creeper
at http://images.google.com & see if it looks familiar. [red leaves in
fall-- some black berries late summer.]

The bittersweet has bright orange berries in the fall -- often seen in
fall bouquets in this part of the world. [northeast US]


What options do I have if they are the above?

Same thing as for the bittersweet vine, though with an uncooperative
neighbor, you're in for a life-long fight.

I had it on 2 wooded sides of my 1 acre property. I used roundup
where it was mixed with poison ivy & have used a 6 foot mowed buffer &
frequent attacks at runners to keep it at bay on the rest of my
property line. In 16 years I have been able to keep it within
reason, but if I ignore it for 3-4 years my property would be solid
'creeper'.

Jim