Cardiospermum grandiflorum Sw.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
National Botanic Garden, Harare

Photo: Bart Wursten
Tiger Kloof, on the game Fence of the Cecil Kop Game Reserve

Photo: Mark Hyde
National Botanic Garden, edge of carpark

Photo: Mark Hyde
Greenwood Park, Harare

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:	Cardiospermum hirsutum Willd.
Common names:	Balloon vine (English)
Frequency:
Status:
Description:	Perennial climber. Stems with bristly hairs, sometimes slightly woody; tendrils present. Leaves compound; leaflets with serrate margins. Flowers in many-flowered axillary heads, white with a yellowish centre, fragrant. Fruit a membranous, inflated capsule, green, drying to brown. Seeds round and black with an oblong to heart-shaped spot (hilum). It was introduced as a garden ornamental and has only recently become widely naturalised, particularly in and around Harare.
Type location:
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	grandiflorum: large flowered
Habitat:
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Tropical America and tropical Africa
National distribution:
Growth form(s):	Climber.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:	Deudorix antalus (Food plant)
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Exell, A.W. (1966). Sapindaceae Flora Zambesiaca 2(2) Pages 510 - 512. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 76. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 173.

Other sources of information about Cardiospermum grandiflorum:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Cardiospermum grandiflorum
Flora of Malawi: Cardiospermum grandiflorum
Flora of Zambia: Cardiospermum grandiflorum
Flora of Zimbabwe: Cardiospermum grandiflorum
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Cardiospermum grandiflorum

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Cardiospermum grandiflorum
African Plant Database: Cardiospermum grandiflorum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Cardiospermum grandiflorum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Cardiospermum grandiflorum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Cardiospermum grandiflorum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Cardiospermum grandiflorum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Cardiospermum grandiflorum
JSTOR Plant Science: Cardiospermum grandiflorum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Cardiospermum grandiflorum
Plants of the World Online: Cardiospermum grandiflorum
Tropicos: Cardiospermum grandiflorum
Wikipedia: Cardiospermum grandiflorum