Asian moonseed is a twining vine from Northeast Asia whose seed is curved like a crescent moon—the source of the name "moonseed." It isn't native to the U.S.; its close cousin in eastern North America is common moonseed. Like its American cousin, it is poisonous.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A deciduous vine that climbs by twining its stems, without tendrils.
- Leaves
- Leaves are roundish with 3–7 shallow lobes, about 2–5 in (5–13 cm) long and wide, and usually hairless. The leafstalk joins the blade slightly in from the edge, like a shield.
- Flowers
- Tiny pale yellow flowers grow in loose clusters; male and female flowers are on separate plants.
- Fruit
- Small, round, purplish-black fruits about 3/8 in (1 cm) across, each with one flat, crescent-shaped seed.
Look-alikes
The two look very much alike. Asian moonseed's leaf lobes usually have longer, more drawn-out tips and deeper notches between them, its leafstalk joins farther in from the edge, and its flowers are packed into shorter clusters that come in pairs above each leaf. In the wild in the U.S., the plant you find is almost certainly common moonseed.
Why they get mixed upThey are close relatives with very similar shield-like leaves and grape-like fruit.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- forest edges
- open forests
- roadside shrublands
- Range
- Native to Korea, Japan, China, and southern Siberia, including the Russian Far East.
Cautions
- Cautions
- All parts of moonseed plants are poisonous and contain such as dauricine, which can disrupt heart rhythm. Children have died after eating moonseed fruit.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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