Balloon-vine heartseed
Cardiospermum halicacabum L.
Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Sprawling and trailing, much-branched, bearing axillary tendrils.
- Leaves
- Alternate: petiole .4 to 1.8 inch; blade pentagonal to broadly ovate in outline, 1-2-ternately compound; leaflets ovate-lanceolate to rhombic-lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, primary leaflets .4 to 3 inches, base wedge-shaped, margins coarsely toothed or lobed, tip acuminate.
- Inflorescence
- Axillary, panicles, 3-11-flowered; peduncles 1 to 2.4 inches.
- Flower
- Sepal lobes 4, unequal, 2 large ones opposite, .1 to .14 inch, 2 small ones opposite, to .06 inch; petals 4, distinct, slightly unequal, white, obovate, .1 to .14 inch, each with petaloid appendage at base; stamens 8; style 1; stigma 3-lobed.
- Fruit
- Capsules bladdery-inflated, 3-lobed, 1 to 1.6 by 1.1 to 1.2 inch.; seeds 3, globose, black, shiny, ca. .2 inch; aril light gray or white, heart- or kidney-shaped.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Moist thickets, riverbanks, fields, and waste places.
- Distribution
- Scattered occurrence in east 2/3 of Kansas
Additional Notes
Comments
Cardiospermum halicacabum occasionally is grown as a trellis plant for its foliage and fruits. Cardiospermum alludes to the heart-shaped aril on the seed.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Sapindaceae - Soapberry Family
- Life Span
- Annual
- Height
- Vine, 1-11 feet
- Origin
- Introduced
- Last Updated
- 2014-01-18
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: June, July, August, September