''Muehlenbeckia complexa'' is a plant commonly known as ''pohuehue'' (), although this name also applies to some other climbers such as '' Muehlenbeckia australis''.

Description

''Muehlenbeckia complexa'' is one of 50 species of shrubs that are divided into 21 family groups known to be

divaricate Divaricate means branching, or having separation or a degree of separation. The angle between branches is wide. In botany In botany, the term is often used to describe the branching pattern of plants. Plants are said to be divaricating when th ...

, with interlaced branches and a reduced number of leaves. This trait is more or less unique to

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 ...

, with very few divaricate species being found elsewhere in the world. ''M. complexa'' is a vascular

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

of New Zealand, belonging to the

Polygonaceae The Polygonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants known Common name, informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The Botanical name, name is Basionym, based on the genus ''Polygonum'', ...

family. ''M. complexa'' forms a dense thick mass of interlaced branches. The stems are slender and creep or twine over other plants or rocks, without support it will climb upon itself. Forming thick and dense prostrate masses. When it occurs near the shore, frequently assumes cushion form. The stems are tough and woody, with numerous branches tightly interlaced, bark is red-brown in colour and have a wiry appearance. The leaves are petiolate, variable in shape and size, even on the same plant.Cheeseman, F. T (1925) Manual of New Zealand flora. W. A. G. Skinner, Government printer Leaves may have lobed or entire margins. The leaves are rather sparse on slender stalks, up to 1 cm long, the leaf blade ranges from 5mm to 20 cm long by 2 to 15mm long. The flowers are delightfully scented and are supported on spikes approximately 2 cm long, that emerge from the leaf axils and the tips of branchlets. The flowers are small,

dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

and contain 8 stamens. As the flowers age, they enlarge into succulent fruits that are semi transparent with a shiny, black, triangular shaped seeds located in the centre of the fruits. It is

semi-deciduous Semi-deciduous or semi-evergreen is a botanical term which refers to plants that lose their foliage for a very short period, when old leaves fall off and new foliage growth is starting. This phenomenon occurs in tropical and sub-tropical wood ...

, losing most, or all of its leaves over winter.Metcalf. L. (2009). Know your New Zealand native plants. New Holland publishers (NZ)

Other names

Other names include (

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

), mattress plant, wiggy-bush, and wire vine.Clarke, A. (2007). The great sacred forest of Tane. Reed publishing (NZ) Commonly known as maidenhair vine, creeping wire vine, lacy wire vine, angel vine, mattress vine, mattress wire weed, necklace vine, and wire vine, ''Muehlenbeckia complexa'' is an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

in the family

, which is native to

. It got its genus name after botanist Muehlenbeck, and earned its species name due to its tangled growth habit.

Distribution and habitat

It can be found growing throughout all three main islands of

(as well as

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Port ...

in Australia), where it grows in a variety of habitats, occurring in coastal, lowland and montane regions. ''M. complexa'' is often found growing in company of ''

Plagianthus divaricatus ''Plagianthus divaricatus'' or saltmarsh ribbonwood is a plant that is endemism, endemic to New Zealand. The Māori language, Māori name is makaka. Other common names it is known by marsh ribbonwood, Houi and Runa. The species was first descr ...

'', shore ribbonwood. Common throughout both Eastern and Western coasts of the United States including Hawaii, and native to New Zealand. This plant has also been introduced in Western Australia, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Japan, and parts of South America. Preferred climates are coastal regions.

Ecology

In its native environment it plays a key role sealing human and natural disturbances on the forest edge. It also suppresses the growth of introduced weeds, such as blackberry, and promotes increased insect diversity.

Ecological value for wildlife

A wide variety of insect species are associated with ''M. complexa''.Crowe, A. (2009). Which native forest plant? Penguin books (NZ) It is an important host plant for several

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

species of copper butterflies including the coastal copper ('' Lycaena salustius'') and Maui's Copper ('' Lycaena edna''). ''M. complexa'' also hosts ''Aphis cotteri'', an aphid native to New Zealand, the pohuehue gall moth (''Morova subfasciata'') and an endemic mite known as the pohuehue pocket gall mite (''Eriophyes lambi''). It is also a food source for birds such as

tūī The tūī (''Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae'') is a medium-sized bird native to New Zealand. It is blue, green, and bronze coloured with a distinctive white throat tuft (poi). It is an endemism, endemic passerine bird of New Zealand, and the on ...

, bellbird and

kererū The kererū (''Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae''), also known as kūkupa (Māori language#Northern dialects, northern Māori dialects), New Zealand pigeon or wood pigeon, is a species of pigeon native to New Zealand. Johann Friedrich Gmelin describ ...

, which also feed on the buds and leaves.

Predators, parasites, and diseases

Possums Possum may refer to: Animals * Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas ** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia *** Common opossum, native to Central and South America *** Virginia opossum, ...

will readily eat ''Muehlenbeckia'' species.

Other information

Since 1995 or earlier, it has been a problematic invasive species in the

Golden Gate National Recreation Area The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is a U.S. National Recreation Area protecting of ecologically and historically significant landscapes surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area. Much of the park is land formerly used by the Unite ...

including Lands End, San Francisco and the

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...

and eradication requires 3–5 years monitoring and maintenance.San Francisco Board of Supervisors Legislative Analyst Report, Natural Areas Management Plans, July 2, 2007
Uncontrolled maidenhair vines can overrun gardens, climb trees and choke other plants. Uncontrolled maidenhair vine

Cultural uses

The succulent flowers were eaten by

, especially children as they are sweet and juicy.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2039835

complexa Complexa is red Portuguese wine grape used in the production of Madeira. The grape was created as a crossing of Castelao, Muscat Hamburg and Tintinha in the 1960s. The grape provides a deep color with less tannins than the commonly used Tinta Ne ...

Flora of New Zealand Eudicots of Western Australia Caryophyllales of Australia Garden plants Dioecious plants Divaricating plants