Download Balloon vine - Cape Town Invasives

IDENTIFICATION: Balloon vine (Cardiospermum grandiflorum)
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
• Fragrant, grow in compact clusters, 4 petals
• White with yellow lip, pair of tendrils at
flower base and leaf axils
• October to January
• Balloon-shaped, up to 60mm long, inflated, 3-angled
capsule with fine bristly hair, pointed tip
• Young fruit – soft, green; turning brown when mature
• Seeds – black, round, oblong to heart-shaped spot,
6-8mm; light in weight
Cape Town Weed Alert
Balloon
vine
(Cardiospermum grandiflorum)
CREEPER/CLIMBER:
• Can climb up to 8m in the canopy
LEAVES:
STEMS:
• Hairy; ribbed; reddish-green
• Compound; up to 16cm long
• 3 lots of 3 leaflets; triangular shape
• Dark green; toothed or lobed
Please report all sightings of balloon vine to
www.capetowninvasives.org.za
Why is it a problem?
Legal status
• Smothers indigenous plants, reduce their
ability to photosynthesise; weight breaks
branches of indigenous plants.
• Changes riparian ecosystems.
• Outcompetes indigenous plants.
• Invades river banks, waterways, roadsides,
forests and disturbed areas.
1
Join the
Cape Town
EDRR
Spotter Network
CARA CaTEGORY 1 INVADER
CARA Category 1 Invader
Remove & Destroy
What can I do?
How does it spread?
• Seeds are transported by wind and water.
• Prolific seed producer.
Sightings to date
Help us complete this picture.
Where does it grow? Have you seen it?
How do I remove it?
• Pull out by hand or dig young plants out,
ensuring roots are removed.
• Cut mature plants at base, leaving top
growth to die off, then dig roots out.
• Combine with herbicide application; take
care to prevent contamination of water.
• WARNING: Herbicides should only be
applied by suitably trained and equipped
individuals.
What if I can’t remove it myself?
Join the Spotter Network and
the Cape Town Early Detection and
Rapid Response (EDRR) unit will send
out a team to help you.
Help us protect Cape Town’s
natural heritage from alien
invader plant species. Sign up
online and become a volunteer.
www.capetowninvasives.org.za
1) Sign up to the Spotter Network at
www.capetowninvasives.org.za
2) Log your sightings on the Spotter Network so we know
where the plants are situated.
3) How do I remove it?
If you can physically remove the plant, log its removal on
the system so that we know that it has been removed.
4) If you can’t remove it yourself, the Cape Town
Invasive Species Unit will send out a team.
For more information contact: The Cape Town Invasive Species Unit,
Environmental Resource Management, Westlake Conservation
Office, Ou Kaapse Weg, Tokai.
Tel: (021) 712 1434/1944
Email: [email protected]