Madeira Vine

Description:

Anredera cordifolia, most commonly known in Australia as "Madeira vine" or "lamb's tail", is an invasive species. It is a vigorous climber that can reach lengths of 20 metres or more and produce thousands of aerial tubers along its stem. It is a serious environmental weed that can degrade intact native forests, completely altering the environments it dominates. The combination of fleshy leaves and thick aerial tubers makes this a very heavy vine. It smothers trees and other vegetation it grows on and can easily break branches and bring down entire trees on its own. Like every other introduced species into Australia, Anredera cordifolia is a massive environmental problem. You can see from these photos how it is starting to infest this small section of bushland. This species is native to South America. PS: Oddly enough, I did not spot one tuber on the plants I saw. I'll have a more thorough look and get a photo next time I encounter this vine.

Habitat:

Spotted in native bushland adjacent to a suburban park, in northwest Sydney. This species is a garden escapee, now widespread and common in coastal summer rainfall areas of NSW and other states. Also spreading along watercourses into inland areas. An aggressive weed that will invade the margins of rainforest, smothering small trees and shrubs. Evidently partly salt tolerant, as it has also been noted overgrowing mangroves. The underground and aerial tubers make it difficult to control. It can be found in bushland, edges of rainforests, waterways, disturbed sites, waste areas, parks, gardens and roadsides.

Notes:

Another excellent link - https://weeds.brisbane.qld.gov.au/weeds/...