Description

• Fast growing, climbing plant usually with pinkish-purple flowers (sometimes white to pink or light purple). Can also grow as a bush.

• Shiny, dark green leaves that are about 7 cm (3 in) long, with triangular, 10 cm long (4 in) seedpods that grow in wing-like pairs.

• Native to Madagascar, introduced to Hawaii as drought-resistant ornamentals

• Grows over other plants and trees to 13 m (45 ft) high, smothering and killing other vegetation.

• Twines tightly around other plants and restricts their growth.

• Extremely poisonous: it contains cardiac glycosides, which interfere with heart operation in humans and animals when the plant is eaten.

• When the vine is dry, a powdery dust emerges and can cause violent coughing, swelling of the nose, and blistering of the eyelids.

• Contact with the plant’s milky sap can cause burning rashes and blisters.

• Each seedpod contains 340-840 seeds, silky hairs on seeds allow them to spread by wind and water, seeds are also known to float and survive for a month in salt water before being washed ashore to sprout.

• Introduced to Western Australia, now considered one of the 10 worst invasive plants.