Prefers a moist soil and a sunny sheltered position, but succeeds in most soils. A frost-tender deciduous climber, it is grown as an annual in Britain.

Leaves and young shoots - cooked. Used as a spinach.

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 3 - 4 weeks at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

Moist thickets and waste ground in Eastern N. America.