Long Grass Nature Refuge
Fauna and Flora Detail
WildMan
Wildlife Management System
© Copyright Long Grass Nature Refuge,2011
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Scientific Name
Common Name
Type
Notes
Native of tropical South America. Flowers/Seedhead: With an outer crown-like ring of tissue (corona) purple below and inner corona white. Flowers late spring to autumn. Description: Perennial vine, climbing via tendrils, to 6 m high on supporting vegetation. Lower stems corky and rooting when in contact with the ground. Leaves 3–10 cm long on stalk 0.5–2 cm long. Fruit globe-shaped, mostly 1–1.5 cm wide, initially green ripening dark purple to black and containing numerous seeds. Seeds 3–4 mm long. Distinguishing features: Distinguished by corky bark on older stems; leaves usually 3-lobed; leaf margins not toothed; leaf stalk with 2 raised glands near the middle; stipules at base of leaves linear, 0.4–0.8 cm long; flowers 1.8–2.5 cm wide, yellow-green, petals absent. Dispersal: Spread by bird-dispersed seed and via trailing stems. Three lobed leaves & flower. Note glands on leaf stalk Notes: Garden escape, naturalised in open forest and disturbed land. Most troublesome in the subcanopy and ground vegetation layers. Leaves, stems and green fruit are poisonous. A troublesome weed in Melanesia, Hawaii, and now spreading in SE Asia, India and South Africa.
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