''Araujia sericifera'' is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

vining plant in the genus ''

Araujia ''Araujia'' is a small genus of perennial vines in the Apocynaceae, dogbane family first described as a genus in 1817. The group is native to South America. Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Araujia'': *''Araujia ang ...

'', of the family

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (, from '' Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Notable mem ...

, that is native to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. The species was described in 1817 by the Portuguese botanist

Félix de Avelar Brotero Felix may refer to: * Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name Places * Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen * Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...

. The synonym ''Araujia hortorum'' is in more frequent use in New Zealand. Its common names include bladderflower, white bladderflower, bladder vine, cruel vine, cruel plant, moth plant, moth vine, common moth vine, and false choko. It was introduced to Europe and other areas as an ornamental plant, but it is now considered a

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is harmful to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or lives ...

. In some countries, such as France, the attractive and abundant fragrant flowering make it a specimen considered worth cultivating. However its strong robustness combined with high seed production can make it invasive in most environments, but not in France due to its sensitivity to frost.

Etymology

The genus name (''Araujia'') derives from

António de Araújo e Azevedo, 1st Count of Barca D. António de Araújo e Azevedo, 1st Count of Barca (14 May 1754 – 21 June 1817) was a Portuguese statesman, author and amateur botanist. Biography The eldest child of António Pereira Pinto de Araújo de Azevedo Fagundes and Marquesa Ma ...

(1754–1817), a Portuguese amateur botanist who conducted scientific studies and experiments in his own botanical garden. The species' Latin name ''sericifera'' means "silk-bearing" and refers to the silky hairs surrounding the seeds inside the fruits. ''Araujia sericofera'' is an incorrect

taxonomic synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The Botanical nomenclature, botanical and Zoological nomenclature, zoological codes of nomencl ...

for ''Araujia sericifera''.

Description

''Araujia sericifera'' is a creeping vine that can climb up to high. When broken it releases a milky, smelly exudate. Leaves are opposite, dark green, glossy and quite fleshy, almost triangular, with entire margins, about long and wide with an intact leaf margin. The upper side is dark green, bare and shiny, the underside is grey-green with felt-like hairs. When a stem, leaf or unripe fruit is broken, a white milky juice is produced at the breaking point. It is slightly toxic and can cause an allergic

skin reaction A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of this sys ...

when touched. The stems are thin and right-winding. They branch strongly and can lignify at the base. The plant usually wraps itself around other plants or around a post or the bars of a fence. The root system consists of a short

taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproot ...

with superficial

lateral root Lateral roots, emerging from the pericycle (meristematic tissue), extend horizontally from the primary root (radicle) and over time makeup the iconic branching pattern of root systems. They contribute to anchoring the plant securely into the soil ...

s. The plant's stems and leaves may senesce in late summer or early autumn, but new shoots will grow on the old stems as climbing support.

Inflorescences

The twining stems feature scented, cup-shaped bisexual flowers, around in width, with five white, cream-coloured, violet or pale pink petals. The flowers are generally pollinated by moths (hence the name "moth plant"), butterflies and bees (

entomophily Entomophily or insect pollination is a form of pollination whereby pollen of plants, especially but not only of flowering plants, is distributed by insects. Flowers pollinated by insects typically advertise themselves with bright colours, some ...

), but they can self-pollinate. The flowering period extends from late spring to summer. The flowers of Araujia sericifera resemble those of '' Stephanotis floribunda'' in some respects, a vine that also belongs to the dogbane family. The pear-shaped fruits are large pods, about long. They contain many black seeds attached to silky hairs that enable them to be distributed by the wind. The fruits outwardly resemble those of

chayote Chayote (; previously placed in the obsolete genus ''Sechium''), also known as christophine, mirliton, güisquil, and choko, is an edible plant belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. This fruit was first cultivated in Mesoamerica between ...

or choko (''Sechium edule''), hence the name ''false choko''.

Insect trap

The structure of the flower includes a number of wedge-shaped openings that function as an

insect trap Insect traps are used to monitor or directly reduce populations of insects or other arthropods, by trapping individuals and killing them. They typically use food, visual lures, chemical attractants and pheromones as bait and are installed so that ...

(hence its English name of "cruel plant"), without being a

carnivorous plant Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods, and occasionally small mammals and birds. They have adapted to grow in waterlo ...

, where it occasionally and inadvertently traps the pollinator's

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular arthropod mouthparts, mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a pr ...

, leading to its death. When the foragers put their tongue in the flower, it is blocked by hooks and only the most robust insects manage to free themselves. The insects can die in the flower if the captivity lasts too long. The

hummingbird hawk-moth The hummingbird hawk-moth (''Macroglossum stellatarum'') is a species of hawk moth found across temperate regions of Eurasia. The species is named for its similarity to hummingbirds, as they feed on the nectar of tube-shaped flowers using their ...

monarch butterfly The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. I ...

, and some bees are often victims of this plant.

Distribution

The plant is native to South America: Peru mainly, but also Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. It was introduced to Europe and other areas as an ornamental plant, but it is now considered a

. The plant is now widely distributed in France by horticultural networks as a climbing and scent plant. It thrives in rich soil in sunny locations (possibly also in partial shade) and becomes perennial when protected from frost. The plant's geographical distribution included southern Europe,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, North America (

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

), South America (

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

in 2024.

Habitat

These plants grow in wastelands with trees and hedges, in forests and in rocky places or cliffs. They prefer sunny or partially shady places, at an altitude of above sea level. The fast-growing vines can cover a tree canopy in two or three years, competing with the tree for light, water, and nutrients. They damage trees by this competition and by twining so tightly around their branches that it

girdles A belt without a buckle, especially if a cord or rope, is called a girdle in various contexts, especially historical ones, where girdles were a very common part of everyday clothing from antiquity until perhaps the 15th century, especially for w ...

them.

Butterflies

The plant can be used as an alternative food source for

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s of the

. Although monarch caterpillars are not known to occur naturally on the plant, they will readily feed on leaves when supplies of ''

Gomphocarpus physocarpus ''Gomphocarpus physocarpus'', commonly known as hairy balls, balloonplant, balloon cotton-bush, bishop's balls, nailhead, or swan plant, is a species of plant in the Milkweed subfamily Asclepiadoideae of the Dogbane Family (Apocynaceae), related ...

'' (swan plant) have run out.

Toxicity

Moth plant is toxic for some people. Skin contact with its sap can cause rashes. Contact with the eyes, in particular, can cause severe discomfort.

Gallery

File:Flickr - BioDivLibrary - n32 w1150 (3).jpg, Illustration showing plant details File:Apocyanaceae - Araujia sericifera.JPG, Pink flower File:Apocyanaceae - Araujia sericea-2.JPG, Close-up of a flower, lateral view File:Araujia_sericifera_1.JPG, White flower File:Apocyanaceae - Araujia sericea-3.JPG, Bud File:Apocyanaceae - Araujia sericifera-1.JPG, Fruit File:Apocyanaceae - Araujia sericea-1.JPG, Leaf File:Araujia sericifera - Floraison.jpg, Habit Araujia sericifera 4158a jpg.jpg, Inside fruit

References

External links

European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization
''Araujia sericifera'' Brot.
BioLib
''Araujia sericifera''
Jepson eFlora, University of California, Berkeley
''Araujia sericifera'' Brot.
PLANTS database, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA
Photographs
CalPhotos, University of California, Berkeley
Araujia sericifera
photograph gallery, Natura Italiana {{Taxonbar, from=Q2704519 Asclepiadoideae Flora of Southern America Plants described in 1818 Vines Garden plants of South America Flora of Peru Flora of Brazil Flora of Argentina Flora naturalised in Australia