ORIGIN

Tropical S. America

COMMON NAME

Madeira vine

BOTANICAL NAME

Anredera cordifolia

IDENTIFICATION

Stems climbing slender and often reddish. Leaves slightly succulent, shining, broadly oval shaped, up to 110 mm long with small irregular shaped tubers where they join to the stem. Long hanging racemes of small white, fragrant flowers to 180 mm long, January to April. The stem tubers help distinguish this species.

HABITATS

Coastal localities, wasteland, especially shrub covered areas such as coastal gullies.

IMPACT TO BIOTA AND ECOSYSTEMS

Smothers other vegetation and is a nuisance when it spreads away from roadside dumps and neglected gardens.

DISPERSAL ROUTES, VECTORS, INFESTATION SOURCES

Cultivation escape. Spreads freely via pieces of rhizome and stem tubers. Fruit is not formed in New Zealand.

MANAGEMENT

Physical Control
Remove ground tubers and aerial tubers and dispose of at an approved disposal site.

Disposal
The preferred option is to burn all tubers on site. If removal is necessary be sure not to drop any bits on the way.

Chemical Control
Glyphosate and Penetrant or Triclopyr (Grazon) + Penetrant applied to plants and tubers as soon as green sprouts have two or four leaves on each sprout.

(1)

• 2 litres/100 litres Glyphosate.
• 200 ml/100 litres Penetrant.

(2)

• 60mls/10 litres Triclopyr + 10mls Penetrant.

Biological Control

Recommended Approach
This vine is very hard to kill with herbicide because of its tubers. Plants will be defoliated and the nearest tuber killed but will resprout from the next section of the tuber. Remove every tuber from the trees and ground. Spray as above and monitor closely for regrowth and then spray again. It is important that the second and subsequent sprayings be just as soon as regrowth from the tuber has sufficient leaf to convey herbicide to the tuber. If the leaves are allowed to grow for a longer period new tubers will be formed underground. To control large infestations growing over disirable plants. Cut aerial vines and spray all foliage below cut level.

FURTHER COMMENT

The tubers may be further distributed by washing down stream or even along the coast in the sea.

Also known as mignonette vine.

For further information please refer to Environment Bay of Plenty's Fact Sheet PP17-Climbing plants

This plant is prohibited from propagation, sale and distribution within New Zealand!