''Dolichandra unguis-cati'', commonly known as cat's claw creeper, funnel creeper, or cat's claw trumpet, In Hawai'i it is called Hug-me-tight. is a rapidly growing climbing vine belonging to the family

Bignoniaceae Bignoniaceae () is a Family (biology), family of flowering plants in the Order (biology), order Lamiales commonly known as the bignonias or trumpet vines.Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. ''Flowering Plant ...

. It affects all plant layers of the forest ecosystem spreading rapidly both vertically and horizontally.

Description

''Dolichandra unguis-cati'' is a

liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

with semipersistent foliage and woody stems that can reach a height of . Thin and small

aerial roots Aerial roots are roots growing above the ground. They are often adventitious, i.e. formed from nonroot tissue. They are found in diverse plant species, including epiphytes such as orchids (''Orchidaceae''), tropical coastal swamp trees such ...

are used for climbing. Leaves are dark green, opposite and

bifoliate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets) ...

. Leaflets have a length of . Long primary roots extend beneath the soil surface, producing large tubers long.Plantinvasivekruger - Bignoniaceae - Dolichandra unguis-cati (L.) L.G.Lohmann
Plant Net. Retrieved 25 April 2022. Flowers are yellow, have a diameter of and can grow alone or in groups of two or three. Flowers occur from late spring through to early summer. Their

calyx CALYX, Inc. is a non-profit publisher of art and literature by women founded in 1976 based in Corvallis, Oregon. CALYX publishes both '' CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women'' twice a year and CALYX Books, which publishes one to three ...

is narrow trumpet-shaped, 1–2 centimeters long. Their corolla is also tubular and measures 4 to 10 centimeters long. The 5 lobes of the corolla have different sizes. The opening diameter is 1.2 to 2.4 centimeters. Fruits are brown flattened capsules from long. Each capsule contains 100 to 200 seeds.

Distribution and habitat

This plant is native to the tropical dry forest of

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

(Mexico to Brazil and northern Argentina) and the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. In these natural areas it occurs from sea level to over above sea level and where the rainfall is per year. It can become invasive due to its fast growth and it is present worldwide, often having been introduced as an ornamental plant to these regions. It can affect all layers of plants of forest ecosystems by rapidly spreading both vertically and horizontally. It prefers fertile, well-drained soils but can survive in most soils except salty ones. It tolerates the lack of light well, but grows faster in the sun. It is naturalised in Australia, southeastern US, southern Africa, tropical Asia. It grows in orchards and gardens, roadsides and grasslands, in open urban areas, especially in temperate to subtropical regions with medium to high rainfall. It spreads both horizontally, in contact with herbaceous plants, and vertically, up to the

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

Invasiveness

The eradication of this plant is difficult because of its rapid spread linked to the vast

root system In mathematics, a root system is a configuration of vector space, vectors in a Euclidean space satisfying certain geometrical properties. The concept is fundamental in the theory of Lie groups and Lie algebras, especially the classification and ...

it develops and the profusion of its seeds. It survives grazing and

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

, and disturbances tend to stimulate offspring production. The plant is said to be "one of the most destructive exotic vines", where it is especially aggressive in

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...

zones and rainforest communities where it strangles trees.

Medicinal use

Its use has been documented as an

antidote An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon antidoton)'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". An older term in English which is ...

for

snake bite A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may ...

s in

folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

. It is also used to treat

dermatitis Dermatitis is a term used for different types of skin inflammation, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened ...

, in addition to being

antipyretic An antipyretic (, from ''anti-'' 'against' and ' 'feverish') is a substance that reduces fever. Antipyretics cause the hypothalamus to override a prostaglandin-induced increase in temperature. The body then works to lower the temperature, which r ...

. Furthermore, being

anti-inflammatory Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation, fever or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs reduce pain by inhibiting mechan ...

, it has been used for the treatment of intestinal ailments,

venereal disease A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, or ...

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including a ...

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

and

oliguria Oliguria or hypouresis is the low output of urine specifically more than 80 ml/day but less than 400ml/day. The decreased output of urine may be a sign of dehydration, kidney failure, hypovolemic shock, hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndro ...

. Its leaves revealed antitumoral and antitrypanosomal activities.

Gallery

Dolichandra unguis-cati.jpg, Choking natural vegetation in Australia Dolichandra unguis-cati00.jpg, Tendrils that hook into the bark of host trees, aiding the vine to climb the

trunk Trunk may refer to: Biology * Trunk (anatomy), synonym for torso * Trunk (botany), a tree's central superstructure, and the stem of woody plants * Trunk of corpus callosum, in neuroanatomy * Elephant trunk, the proboscis of an elephant Comput ...

Starr 060526-8130 Macfadyena unguis-cati.jpg, Tendrils Starr 070321-5997 Macfadyena unguis-cati.jpg, Habit in woodland Starr 070321-5999 Macfadyena unguis-cati.jpg, Leaves Starr 990106-3102 Macfadyena unguis-cati.jpg, As a

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced (3 feet or closer) shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate ...

Dryades decay cat's claw.jpg, Dilapidated wooden house overgrown with cat's claw vine Cat’s claw Sri lanka.jpg, As an ornamental plant Starr 060526-8117 Macfadyena unguis-cati.jpg, Flowering hedge Flore médicale des Antilles, ou, Traité des plantes usuelles (Pl. 199) (8182068867).jpg, Botanical illustration

References

;Notes ;Bibliography
USDA

Catalogue of Life
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3108604 Bignoniaceae Vines Flora of Central America Flora of Brazil Flora of Mexico Flora of Argentina Flora of the Caribbean Garden plants of Central America Garden plants of South America Flora without expected TNC conservation status