This species has been reported from 7 counties, and all of the reports but one are nearly 40 years old. I do not believe this vine is any longer cultivated and doubtless its spread will be slow. I have seen it only once in abundance or far from a habitation.

Glabrous shrubs with long, weak, generally sparsely thorny, arched or climbing branches, 1-6 m; lvs short-petiolate, entire, elliptic to lanceolate, ovate, or oblanceolate, to 7 נ3.5 cm on vigorous young shoots, or only 1.5 נ0.3 cm on older ones; pedicels 0.7-2 cm; cor lavender or purplish, 9-14 mm, with (4)5 broad, spreading lobes shorter than to about equaling the tube; berry ellipsoid or ovoid, 1-2 cm, red, 10-20-seeded; 2n=24. Native of Eurasia, occasionally escaped from cult. in our range. June-Sept. (L. chinense; L. halimifolium)

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

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