Cardiospermum grandiflorum Sw., Sapindaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: balloon vine, heartseed, heartseed vine

Maori (Cook Islands): kopūpū takaviri?

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Perennial vines; stems ribbed, branched, yellow short-villous, sometimes sparsely so.  Leaves biternate, leaflets rhombic-ovate, ovate, or lanceolate, 2.5-10 cm long, the terminal one of each primary leaf division larger than those of lateral pair, sparsely to moderately yellowish pilose, more densely so along the veins on lower surface, margins coarsely and somewhat irregularly lobed.  Peduncles 7-14.5 cm long; outer sepals broadly obovate, ca. 2 mm long, the inner pair obovate, 8-9 mm long; petals cream to pale yellow, obovate, 7-9 mm long, all with basal scales and crests; nectary disk with 2 erect lobes.  Capsules ellipsoid to ellipsoid-ovoid, membranous, strongly inflated, 3-angled, 4.5-6.5 cm long, glabrous or nearly so.  Seeds subglobose, 6-7 mm in diameter, aril suborbicular"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1226).

Habitat/ecology:  Often cultivated.  "Forests, riparian habitats, rocky places.  This fast growing plant forms large and dense smothering curtains of tangled stems that impede the growth of supporting vegetation, eventually killing trees by the heavy weight.  Seedlings of native shrubs and trees are unable to establish under the stands of this plant.  The plant tolerates periodic inundation and the vigorous growth destroys riparian forests in Australia"  (Weber, 2003; p. 82).  In Hawai‘i, "occasionally cultivated, escaping and apparently naturalized in Mānoa Valley and in downtown Honolulu"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1226).

Propagation:  Seed, dispersed by water and wind (Weber, 2003; p. 82).

Native range:  Neotropics

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island		McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 6)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 137)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1988) (voucher ID: BISH 558685) Taxon name on voucher: Cardiospermum grandiflorum Sw.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1226) Voucher cited: Livingston s. n. (BISH)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	Weber, Ewald (2003) (p. 82)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Comments:  Very invasive and widespread on Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

Invasive in Australia.

Control: 

Physical:  Hand pull or dig out smaller plants, making sure to remove the taproot.

Chemical:  Cut larger vines and treat the stumps with herbicide.

Additional information:  Additional online information about Cardiospermum grandiflorum is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Cardiospermum grandiflorum may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1988. Voucher specimen #BISH 558685 (Florence, J. 9266).

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

McCormack, Gerald. 2007. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage. On-line database.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of the Cook Islands on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 146 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.