How to Identify Climbing Snapdragon

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Climbing Snapdragon is an annual wildflower with more than a dozen varieties. As the name suggests, it climbs a trellis or anything else it can use for support. Climbing Snapdragon can spread out all over your garden if it doesn't find something to climb. It occasionally turns up accidentally in potted plants.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Check the flowers. They should be reddish-purple or blue with a white throat, although there are varieties of Climbing Snapdragon that are pink or even white. The flowers are about an inch long and look like a funnel.

Step2

Measure the height. Climbing Snapdragon grow 4 to 8 feet tall. It's not as aggressive as some other vines, so there is less risk of it taking over its environment. Climbing Snapdragon will, however, tend to sprawl if it lacks support.

Step3

Lift a leaf. It should alternate sides of the vine, and the leaves are not very close to each other. Leaves on a Climbing Snapdragon can be shaped like a heart or an arrow, and are about a 1/2-inch long.

Step4

Look to the sun. Climbing Snapdragon likes full or at least partial sunshine. You aren't likely to find one growing in deep shade.

Step5

Examine the stalk. Although it may be woody at the base, the vine will generally be thin and delicate. The Climbing Snapdragon grows quickly.

Step6

Consult the calendar. Most varieties of Climbing Snapdragon bloom from mid-June through the first frost.

Step7

Spot butterflies. The Buckeye butterfly especially likes Climbing Snapdragon, and its caterpillars eat the vine.