Matelea carolinensis is a great vine for growing on a tuteur, or trellis, or just let it scamper along over an embankment. The flower has a maroon, milkweed-like corolla, and because it dies back to the ground every winter, it remains very well behaved, staying just where you put it, and not invading every corner of your yard, as some more aggressive vines are known to do. It emerges late in the spring as a fuzzy little clump of sprouts, to become pubescent, heart-shaped leaves along a delicate viney stem. The maroon flowers bloom in July - August, usually pollinated by monarchs and a variety of other lepidopterans.
It is in the in the family Apocynaceae (dogbane family) and known by the common names maroon Carolina milkvine and Carolina anglepod. It is native to the southeastern United States (from Maryland to Texas), where it grows in open deciduous woods and stream banks. It is a perennial twining vine forb/herb with milky sap and 5 to 10 cm heart-shaped leaves.