Balloon Vine is a vigorous climber with stems growing to more than 10m long. It is commonly found in wet areas, especially along urban creeks. Leaves are light green with three leaflets. Clusters of small white flowers are followed by inflated, balloon-like papery capsules containing black seeds.

Family: Sapindaceae

Origin: Tropical America, West Indies and Africa

Habit: Herbaceous perennial climber with stems to more than 10m long.

Leaves: 6-16cm long, on a leaf stalk 2-10cm long, with 3 leaflets each further divided into 3; margins of leaflets irregularly toothed.

Flowers: White, 4 petals. in clusters, stalk of the flowerheads end in a pair of tendrils. Flowers for most of the year.

Fruit: Inflated membraneous capsule, 6-ribbed, 4-8cm long, covered with short stiff hairs. each containing 3 blackish, round seeds, about 7mm wide.

Roots: Shallow and fibrous, fragments re-root readily.

Dispersal: Seeds spread by wind, water and contaminated soil (earthmoving equipment, car tyres etc)

General Biosecurity Duty

All plants are regulated with a general biosecurity duty to prevent, eliminate or minimise any biosecurity risk they may pose. Any person who deals with any plant, who knows (or ought to know) of any biosecurity risk, has a duty to ensure the risk is prevented, eliminated or minimised, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Control

Cut the vines close to the ground and dig out as much of the root system as possible. The remaining vines in trees can either be removed or left to rot.

More information

Department of Primary Industries