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Balloon Vine
Environmental Weed
Botanical name: Cardiospermum grandiflorum
Source: "Stop the Spread" Source: "Weeds" - Auld and Medd
Description
Originating from Tropical Asia, Africa and America, Balloon Vine is a vigorous climber growing as high as can be supported. Common in wet areas especially along urban creeks. Light green leaves are compound with three sets of three leaflets. Leaflets are thin, toothed and softly hairy. Small white flowers, occurring in mid-summer. Fruit is a pale green balloon-like papery capsule enclosing 3 black seeds. Seeds are produced in autumn.
Dispersal
Often dumped on bushland edges. The papery capsules can be carried by wind, and float on water along adjacent creeklines. Regrows from root fragments
Impact on bushland
Balloon Vine has the ability to kill native plants by smothering, blocking out sunlight. Favours creeklines and the margins of rainforest, grows rapidly into the tops of trees, forming a thick curtain of stems. This weed is invasive and poses a significant threat to the bushland environment. It may cause distress to neighbouring properties both through the plant stems spreading over boundary lines and seeds blowing in. These seeds germinate readily and will start new infestations. Due to the plant's invasive nature, treatment to contain this weed must start immediately. As this weed is likely to continually grow and spread, total removal is recommended.
Control
Manual:
- Cut the vines close to the ground and dig out as much of the root system as possible.
- Or cut and scrape and paint stems with an undiluted glyphosate-based product.
- Some regrowth is likely and should be retreated in the same way.
- The remaining vines in the tree can either be removed or left to rot in situ.
See Manual Weed Control Techniques.
Chemical: Please contact your local control authority for advice on chemical control.
Suggested alternatives
- Old Man's Beard (Clematis aristata)
- Wonga Vines (Pandorea species)
- Wombat Berry (Eustrephus latifolius)
- Water Vine (Cissus antarctica)
- Clematis (Clematis montana)
- Slender Grape - see the Look-a-likes booklet
References
Weeds of Blue Mountains Bushland, Blue Mountains City Council and NPWS Blue Mountains