The species epithet is from the Latin cordatus (heart-shaped) and folius (leaf).

Madeira Vine, Lamb's Tail, Mignonette Vine, Jalap; many names in many languages, see entries in Bibliography.

Twining vine, with root-crown tuber, and often developing aerial tubers from leaf axils. Aerial stems usually less than 10 m long but recorded to 40 m. Leaves alternate; lamina ovate or broadly ovate to cordate, 2–15 cm long, 1–12 cm wide, cordate at base, entire, acute to obtuse or sometimes shortly acuminate or emarginate at apex, ± fleshy to succulent, glossy above, glabrous; petiole 0.5–2 cm long. Racemes pendulous, 6–25 (–30) cm long; flowers numerous, sweet-scented. Pedicels 3–4 mm long; bracts subulate to narrowly ovate, 1.5–2.5 mm long. Tepals ovate or ovate-oblong to elliptic, obtuse, c. 2–3 mm long, spreading, white to cream. Stamens 2–2.5 mm long, ascending, strongly divergent; filaments c. 1 mm wide at base, tapering to anther. Style shallowly or deeply trifid; stigmas ± clavate. Fruit an indehiscent, subglobular capsule. Seed 1, globular, smooth (fruit and seed-set uncommon in Australia).

Vine bearing tubers from leaf axils and roots. Flowers in an elongated pendulous raceme, pedicellate, not fleshy, fully opening.

Flowers December–May.

n = 18 (Xifreda et al. 2000). See Taxonomic Notes.

Introduced, naturalised. 

Native to tropical South America, now cultivated and naturalised in many tropical and subtropical countries. In Australian still sometimes cultivated, aggressively weedy and naturalised in Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania; also on Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.

Disturbed areas, usually establishing in new areas from stem fragments and aerial tubers often in garden waste. The aerial tubers readily break off and fragment, sprouting rapidly in moist shady microsites. Young vines rapidly climb over shrubs, rock outcrops, and small (and sometimes large) trees. Often favours high light-level patches in moist vegetation types, e.g. margins and canopy breaks in rainforest, streamside gallery forest, creek embankments. Very persistent once established.

For details on biology and ecology see Vivian-Smith et al. (2007, 2009) and references therein.

W.A.: Canning foreshore off O'Dell St, Thornlie, 27 Mar. 2004, M. Hislop 3170 (PERTH).

S.A.: Anstey Hill, old amphitheatre quarry, 24 Mar. 1989, R.L. Taplin 156 (AD).

Qld: southern Bundaberg, 18 Mar. 1980, T. Stanley 1066 (BRI).

N.S.W.: Upper Causeway, Royal National Park, 6 Apr. 1975, R.G. Coveny 6253 (CANB, NSW).

Vic.: Melbourne Study Area, Clifton Hall, bank of Merri Creek, 22 Apr. 1987, J.C. Kissane 992 (CANB, MEL).

Tas.: South St, Bellerive, 10 Apr. 1984, D.I. Morris 8551 (AD, HO, MEL, NSW).

Lord Howe Is.: Customs House, Anderson Road, Feb. 2002, J. Le Cussan 1232 (NSW).

Norfolk Is.: NW of Norfolk Island rubbish dump, 26 Feb. 2014, B.J. Lepschi & K.J. Cowley 7119 (CANB).

Originally introduced as an ornamental and screening vine (climbing trellises, fences and over other structures), now strongly discouraged for those purposes in all Australian jurisdictions. Used for a variety of folk-medicinal purposes around the world, with limited investigation of scientific medicinal uses (see e.g. Vivian-Smith et al. 2007, Walters et al. 2011).

Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis, Flora Malesiana ser. I, 5: 303 (1958); Boussingaultia cordifolia Ten., Annales des Sciences Naturelles sér. 3, 19: 355 (1853), non B. cordifolia (Moq.) Volkens. Type: "In hortis colitur. Patria incerta."; lecto: Cult. Hort. Naples, M. Tenore s.n., NAP, designated by C. Guarino et al., Delpinoa n.s. 33–34: 67–76 (1992[1996]).

Taxonomic Synonyms

Boussingaultia gracilis Miers, Journal of Botany, British and Foreign 2: 161, t. 18 (1864); Anredera cordifolia subsp. gracilis (Miers) Xifreda & Argimón, Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 74(2): 1245 (1999). Type: "Brazil v.s. in Hb. Soc. Reg. Hort.-Prov. S. Paulo (Weir, 486)"; holo: Brazil: St. Paul and Rio, 1861–2, J. Weir 486, BM; iso: F, K 000640676.

Boussingaultia gracilis f. pseudobaselloides Hauman, Anales del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Buenos Aires 33: 356 (1925). Type: Buenos Aires; lecto: Buenos Aires, environs de la capital, Tweedie ex herb. Hooker, K, designated by C.C. Xifreda et al., Thaiszia 9(2): 101 (2000).

Boussingaultia gracilis var. pseudobaselloides (Hauman) L.H.Bailey, in Lawrence G.H.M. (1949), New combinations and names of cultivated plants. Gentes Herbarum 8 (fasc. 1): 80. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000678174 [viewed 04 June 2020].

Boussingaultia cordata Sprenger (1895) Bullettino della Societá Toscana di Orticultura 20: 207. [synonymised by Eriksson 2007, “Type not seen”; author mis-cited by Walters 2011 as ‘Sprengel’; synonym status fide Eriksson (2007)].

[Boussingaultia baselloides auct. non Kunth: F.M. Bailey, A Synopsis of the Queensland Flora 411 (1883)].

Anredera baselloides (Kunth) Baill., Histoire des Plantes 9: 147 (1887[1888]), is cited as a taxonomic synonym of Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis by Vivian-Smith (2007: 2, 2009: 1) and Walters (2011: 72) but is here treated as an accepted species, native range from Ecuador to Peru, following Kewscience Plants of the World:   http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:14548-2 [accessed 6 January 2021]

Studies of chromosomes and fruit development by Xifreda et al. (2000) have shown that cultivated plants in Argentina are autotriploids (2n = 36) and virtually sterile with abnormal pollen grains, while many wild plants in that country are diploids (2n = 24) with ‘normal’ pollen development and fruit/seed set; the diploid plants are also characterised by smaller flowers and some vegetative features. Xifreda (1999) erected Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis subsp. gracilis (Miers) Xifreda & Argimón (syn. Boussingaultia gracilis Miers) to accommodate the diploid plants, and postulate that most or all cultivated and escaped invasive plants outside South America are the autotriploid subsp. cordifoilia. Australian plants have not yet been systematically scrutinised on either the morphological or karyological criteria that define these subspecies. A majority of Australian occurrences are reportedly sterile, but some Australian populations do produce viable seed (Vivian-Smith et al. 2009).

The species is an aggressive environmental weed, with a still-expanding range in several jurisdictions. Anredera cordifolia may rapidly smother native vegetation, can collapse tree canopies, and in dense infestations may act as a transformer weed, modifying the microenvironment by either reduction of light and air movement, or (after canopy collapse) by creation of light gaps favouring further weed invasion. Anredera cordifolia is a declared weed in various jurisdictions or regions thereof. As at December 2020, A. cordifolia is:

• Included on the Commonwealth Weeds of National Significance (WONS) list.
• A ‘State Priority Weed’ in New South Wales.
• A ‘restricted invasive plant’ in Queensland.
• A ‘restricted weed’ in Victoria.
• A ‘declared weed’ in Tasmania.
• A ‘declared plant’ in South Australia.
• A ‘Class C Declared Weed’ in the Northern Territory.

Anredera cordifolia is listed as an exemplar species of ‘Invasion and establishment of exotic vines and scramblers as a Key Threatening Process' (NSW TSSC 2006).

For an account of Anredera cordifolia occurring on Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands see Green (1994: 90–91).

C.G.G.J. van Steenis, Flora Malesiana Series 1, Spermatophyta 5(3): 303, fig. 2A–J (1957); H.E. Kleinschmidt & R.W. Johnson, Weeds of Queensland: 249 (1977); B.D. Morley & H.R. Toelken, Flowering Plants in Australia: 76, fig. 41 (1983); T.D. Stanley & E.M. Ross, Flora of South-eastern Queensland 1: 114, fig. 14A (1983); N.G. Walsh & T.J. Entwisle (eds), Flora of Victoria 3: 225, fig. 41 (1996); R.D. Spencer, Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia 2(1): 287 (1997); J.P. Jessop, Flora of South Australia 4th edn, 1: 218, fig. 136A (1986); G.J. Harden, Flora of New South Wales rev. edn, 1: pl. 11 (2000); G.J. Harden et al., Rainforest Climbing Plants: 116 (2007); V.H. Heywood et al., Flowering Plant Families of the World: 57 (2007); B.M.J. Hussey et al., Western Weeds 2nd edn: 111 (2007); G. Vivian-Smith et al., The Biology of Australian Weeds 3: 1, fig. 1; 4, fig. 4 (2009); G. Sainty et al. (eds), Estuary Plants and What's Happening to Them in South-east Australia: 335 (2012); F.J. Richardson et al., Weeds of the South-east, 3rd edn: 386 (2016).

M. Walters et al. (eds), Abc Taxa 11: Naturalised and invasive succulents of southern Africa, pp. 70—79, (2011), available at [chapter] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michele_Walters/publication/272379505_Basellaceae/links/54e33d730cf2de71a71e5bc3.pdf, [whole volume] http://www.abctaxa.be/volumes 

Primary Industries and Regions SA, Factsheet: Declared plant: Madeira Vine Anredera cordifolia (2015), available at   https://www.pir.sa.gov.au/biosecurity/weeds_and_pest_animals/weeds_in_sa/weed_id [accessed 29 May 2020]

F.A. Zich et al. Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (2020): https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/ [accessed November 2020]

Baker, M.L., Wapstra, M. & Lawrence, D. (2019). An annotated census of the lesser-known naturalised plants of Tasmania. Muelleria 38: 27–69.

Culham, A. (2007). Basellaceae, in Heywood, V.H., Brummitt, R.K., Culham, A. & Seberg, O., Flowering Plant Families of the World (Updated and revised), pp. 56–57. (Firefly Books: Ontario, Canada).

Curtis, W.M. (1967). The Student's Fora of Tasmania. Part 3. Angiospermae: Plumbaginaceae to Salicaceae. (Government Printer: Hobart, Tasmania).

Green, P.S. (1994). Basellaceae, in Wilson, A.J.G. (ed.), Flora of Australia. Volume 49 – Oceanic Islands 1: 90–91. (Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra).

Guarino, С., La Valva, V., Menale, В. & Ravenna, P. (1992 [1996]). Sistematica ed ecologia di Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steen. (Basellaceae), specie sudamericana spontaneizzata nel Napoletano. Delpinoa n.s. 33–34: 67–76.

Harden, G.J. (2000). Basellaceae, in Harden, G.J. (ed.), Flora of New South Wales (revised edn), 1: 177. (New South Wales University Press: Sydney). See also Anredera cordifolia in New South Wales Flora Online:      https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Anredera~cordifolia [accessed 6 January 2021]

Harden, G.J., McDonald, W.J.F. & Williams, J.B. (2007). Rainforest Climbing Plants. (Gwen Harden Publishing: Nambucca Heads).

Hussey, B.M.J., Keighery, G.J., Dodd, J., Lloyd, S.G. & Cousens, R.D. (2007). Western Weeds. A guide to the weeds of Western Australia 2nd edn. (The Weeds Society of Western Australia: Victoria Park).

Jessop, J.P. (1986). Basellaceae, in Jessop, J.P. & Toelken H.R. (eds), Flora of South Australia 4th edn, 1: 217–218. (South Australian Government Printing Division: Adelaide).

Kleinschmidt, H.E. & Johnson, R.W. (1977). Weeds of Queensland. (S.R. Hampson, Government Printer, Queensland).

Morley, B.D. & Toelken, H.R. (eds) (1983). Flowering Plants in Australia. (Rigby: Willoughby, N.S.W.).

NSW TSSC. (2006). Final Determination: Invasion and establishment of exotic vines and scramblers - Key Threatening Process listing. NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee. Available at:\https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/threatened-species/nsw-threatened-species-scientific-committee/determinations/final-determinations/2004-2007/invasion-and-establishment-of-exotic-vines-and-scramblers-key-threatening-process-listing [accessed 29 May 2020].

PIRSA. (2015). Factsheet: Declared plant: Madeira Vine  Anredera cordifolia. Primary Industries and Regions SA, South Australian Government. Available at https://www.pir.sa.gov.au/biosecurity/weeds_and_pest_animals/weeds_in_sa/weed_id [accessed 29 May 2020].

Richardson, F.J., Richardson, R.G. & Shepherd, R.C.H. (2016). Weeds of the South-east. An Identification Guide for Australia 3rd edn. (R.G. & F.J. Richardson: Meredith, Victoria).

Ross, E.M. (1984). Basellaceae, in Stanley, T.D. & Ross, E.M., Flora of South-eastern Queensland 1: 107–108. (Queensland Herbarium, Queensland Department of Primary Industries: Brisbane).

Sainty, G., Hosking, J. & Carr, G. (2012). Fringing, in Sainty, G., Hosking, J., Carr, G. & Adam, P. (eds), Estuary Plants and What's Happening to Them in South-east Australia, pp. 328–375. (Sainty and Associates: Potts Point).

Spencer, R. (1997). Basellaceae, in Spencer, R., Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia Volume 2. Flowering Plants - Dicotyledons Part 1, pp. 286–287. (University of New South Wales Press: Sydney).

Sperling, C.R. (1987). Systematics of the Basellaceae. Ph.D. thesis, Harvard University, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Botany.

van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (1957). Basellaceae, in van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (ed.), Flora Malesiana Series 1, Spermatophyta 5(3): 300–304. (Noordhoff-Kloff N.V.: Djakarta).

Vivian-Smith, G., Lawson, B.E., Turnbull, I., & Downey, P.O. (2007). The biology of Australian weeds. 46. Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis. Plant Protection Quarterly 22(1): 2–10. Available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264240257_The_biology_of_Australian_weeds_46_Anredera_cordifolia_Ten_Steenis [accessed 2 June 2020].

Vivian-Smith, G., Lawson, B.E., turnbull, I. & Downey, P.O. (2009). Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis, in Panetta, F.D. (ed.), The Biology of Australian Weeds 3: 1–15. (R.G. and F.J. Richardson: Melbourne).

Walsh, N.G. (1996). Basellaceae, in Walsh, N.G. & Entwisle, T.J. (eds), Flora of Victoria Volume 3. Dicotyledons. Winteraceae to Myrtaceae, pp. 224–225. (Inkata Press: North Ryde). See also Anredera cordifolia in VICFLORA:  https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/87fd7364-4d39-446c-a2e3-529c0cbeff83 [accessed 6 January 2021]

Walters, M. (2011). Basellaceae Moq. (Madeira-vine family; Madeira-klimofamilie), in M. Walters, E. Figueiredo, N.R. Crouch, P.J.D. Winter, G.F. Smith, H.G. Zimmermann, & B.K. Mashope (eds) Abc Taxa 11: Naturalised and invasive succulents of southern Africa, pp. 70—79. Available at: [chapter] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michele_Walters/publication/272379505_Basellaceae/links/54e33d730cf2de71a71e5bc3.pdf; [whole volume] http://www.abctaxa.be/volumes.

Xifreda, C.C. (1999). Zuloaga, F.O. & Morrone, O. (eds), Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares de la República Argentina II. Dicotiledóneas, Apéndice I. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 74(2): 1245.

Xifreda, C.C., Argimón, S. & Wulff, A.F. (2000). Infraspecific characterization and chromosome numbers in Anredera cordifolia (Basellaceae). Thaiszia 9(2): 99–108.

Zich F.A., Hyland B.P.M., Whiffin T., Kerrigan R.A. (2020). Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants, Edition 8. https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/. [accessed 18 December 2020]

Published 6 January 2021.