Grape ivy (Cissus trifoliata)

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Cissus trifoliata - Missouri Botanical Garden
Cissus trifoliata - Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Duration: Perennial

Origination: Southern United States

Edibility: Not described as edible

Status in Yard: Only in southeast corner on fences.

This plant has been in my yard since I moved here, climbing up the fences in the north-east corner of my back yard and the live oak that's rooted in the yard of the neighbor behind me but branches over my yard a bit. I have cut back the vine and pulled it off the live oak a few times.

It has many common names, including Grape ivy, Possum grape, Cow-itch vine, Sorrelvine, and Arizona grape ivy.

Early leaves have a more rounded shape, without lobes. After several round leaves, the lobed ones grown, and at some point the plant also produces leaves with three separate leaflets. This photo from May 11, 2015 shows mostly rounded leaves with smaller, more deeply lobed leaves in the periphery, especially against the fence at the right end.
I took these photos on May 12, 2017. This vine is at the northern end of the east fence, climbing out of some basket grass that has covered a fairly large space in that corner.  The vine can grow at least 12 feet long.

Click the photo to see it bigger!

My particular plant has mostly three lobes of what is clearly one leaf. Often plants of this species appear to have three distinct leaflets, and this one might too as it grows and matures.

Cissus trifoliata uses tendrils to climb. In the picture below, the tendrils are gripping in the spaces between the fence pickets.