Common Name: black swallowwort, climbing milkweed, dog-strangle vineScientific Name: Cynanchum nigrum (L.) Pers. syn. Vincetoxicum nigrum, Cynanchum louiseaeFamily Name: Asclepiadaceae - Milkweed FamilyIdentification NotesLife Cycleintroduced perennial, reproducing by seed Stemsunbranched, viney in nature, climbing or sprawling Leavesopposite, ovate to broadly lanceolate, entire, somewhat shiny, very short petioles Flowers5-petaled, dark purple to almost black, petals triangular with short white hairs; axillary clusters Seed Podsgreen, long, slender, pointed, light brown when mature; seed flat with tuft of fine hairs