Vine

Vine, general name for plants with climbing or trailing stems that cannot grow upright without support. Vines have either woody or herbaceous (nonwoody) stems. They can be evergreen or deciduous. Some have tendrils (the sweet pea, the grapevine, and the cucumber), and others have adhesive disks (the woodbine or Virginia creeper) or small roots (English ivy) to anchor them to their support. Some twine their stem around the support (the convolvulus and hop), and others simply ramble over the surrounding area, with no means of holding themselves up (the blackberry and the rambler rose). By far the most important vine economically is the grapevine, from which the wine grape is harvested.