Anredera cordifolia
NPPA pest plant
Common name
Madeira vine
Family
Basellaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Lianes & Related Trailing Plants - Dicotyledons
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Terrestrial. Coastal localities, wasteland, especially shrub covered areas such as coastal gullies.
Features
Climbing vine with slender stems often reddish, ageing to dull brown. Leaves slightly succulent, less so when exposed to high light, shining, broadly oval shaped, up to 13 cm with small irregular tubers where they join to the stem. Tubers can accumulate to form large clusters. Long hanging racemes of small white fragrant flowers to 18cm long are produced January to April.
Similar taxa
The stem tubers help distinguish this species from all other naturalised vines in NZ.
Flowering
January, February, March, April
Flower colours
White
Life cycle
Perennial. Reproduces vegetatively by producing knobbly tubers which are produced frequently in the leaf axils along the stems; fruit is not formed in New Zealand. Dispersed by gravity, seawater, machinery, soil movement,
Year naturalised
1940
Origin
trop S America
Reason for introduction
Ornamental
Tolerances
Tolerant to salt, prefers moist areas but can survive very harsh conditions and re-sprouts from corms when conditions are more favourable.
National Pest Plant Accord species
This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand. For up to date information and an electronic copy of the 2020 Pest Plant Accord manual (including plant information and images) visit the MPI website.