Araujia hortorum
Poisonous plant
NPPA pest plant
Environmental Weed (2024)
Common names
moth plant, moth vine
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Lianes & Related Trailing Plants - Dicotyledons
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Rampant, evergreen vine to 10 m tall with smelly, milky sap. Stems twining, flexible, tough, downy, woody near base. Leaves opposite, 3-12 x 2-6 cm, dark green, hairless and dull above, greyish-downy below. Flowers bell-shaped, 20-25 mm diam, white, occ with pale pink streaks, usually in 2-4 clusters, Dec-May (can trap and kill insects). Distinctive pear-shaped choko-like pod, 10 x 7 cm, thick and leathery, containing kapok-like pulp, splits open dispersing many black, thistle down-like seeds.
Similar taxa
The sticky sap is useful when identifying seedlings and tuberous roots. When fruiting the large seed pods are unmistakable.
Habitat
Terrestrial. coastal, lowland cliff, bluff, waste places and other modified habitats (Timmins & MacKenzie 1995).
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Asclepiadaceae
Synonyms
Araujia sericifera sensu NZ botanists
Ecology
Flowering
December, January, February, March, April, May
Fruiting
Autumn and winter (ARC, 1998).
Year naturalised
1888
Origin
S Brazil, Argentina
Reason for introduction
Ornamental
Life cycle and dispersal
Perennial. Seeds are viable for at least 5 years (Timmins & MacKenzie 1995). Freely sets seed, 400 per follicle; dispersed by wind (ibid.).
Other information
Poisonous plant
The white latex substance in all parts of this plant is poisonous.
Etymology
araujia: Named after 19th century Portugese statesman and plant collector, Antonio de Matos Araujo.
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.
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
ARAHOR