Moth plant (Araujia sericifera)
Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Asclepiadoideae
Genus: Araujia
Species: A. sericifera
Binomial name: Araujia sericifera
Synonyms: Araujia hortorum, Physianthus albens
Common names: Moth plant, Kapok plant, Common moth vine, Cruel vine, and White bladderflower.
Araujia sericifera is an ornamental plant in the Asclepiadoideae subfamily. This plant is native to the North Western Iberian Peninsula in Europe. It was brought to South America and other regions of the world during the Spanish and Portuguese colonial periods. It is considered a noxious weed in many areas, including New Zealand.
It is listed in New Zealand National Pest Plant Accord List
It is a fast-growing, scrambling, twining vine growing to 6m tall and can cover a tree canopy in two or three years, competing with the tree for light, water, and nutrients. It damages trees by this competition and by twining so tightly around their branches that it girdles them and the heavy weight of fruiting vines can cause collapse of limbs and smaller trees.
Its leaves are large, arrow-shaped, and in opposite pairs. The lance-shaped leaves are dark-green on the upper surface and whitish-green beneath.
It has clusters of small creamy white or pink flowers with five petals during December to May.
The large pear-shaped fruit is grey-green and contains hundreds of fluffy white seeds, which are easily dispersed by wind when the fruit spits open.
The vine produces a milky-white sap when damaged.
Reported to be food plant of butterfly caterpillar Danaus plexippus (Monarch butterfly)
The white sticky latex that immediatley runs from a damaged part of the vine
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