NEW ORLEANS — Beauty can be deceiving. That’s especially true in the case of cat’s claw vines.
“That’s surprising,” Garden District resident Richard Powell said. “I thought these were just some beautiful trees that bloom in the yard,”
When Powell moved into his home, he noticed dozens of yellow flowers growing on a tree in his neighbor’s yard. Now, it’s completely covered.
“When I first relocated here, it wasn’t this big. It’s been growing really fast,” Powell said.
Despite its beautiful blooms, the vine can be deadly to trees and shrubs. It can grow up to fifty feet, take over powerlines, and even damage homes.
“They take over your house more or less,” Retired New Orleans City Employee Harold Apllo said. “It's just like it sounds. The claws go into the wood, especially if the wood is wet.”
Even if the plant isn’t in your yard, it only takes one gust to blow the plant’s seeds into the air.
Horticulturists say the best way to keep the vines from taking over is to stop them early. What starts as a few blooms can end up looking something like this.
“Once the vine covers a wooden structure, it traps moisture underneath that leads to decay and deterioration of the wood,” Former horticulturist Dan Gill said.
What does that mean for our oak trees? Due to their size, mature oaks are most likely safe. The vines are mostly deadly for small or young trees.
“Big trees are pretty safe, but the vine is very vigorous. I've just never seen it overwhelm a larger tree,” Gill said.
If you spot a cat’s claw, getting rid of them will go beyond nipping them in the bud.
“Once you've cut that vine, the vine growing on the house will die without any roots. It will die. You can pull it off if you like, but that stump will resprout in the heartbeat. So, you take this herbicide and put just a little bit of it on the freshly cut stump of the vine, and it absorbs it, and that kills off the roots,” Gill said.
Richard Powell says he hopes to say ‘goodbye’ to the yellow trumpets soon.
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