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Araujia sericifera
Also called Moth Catcher, Bladder Flower, Bladderflower, Cape Dandelion, Peruvian Creeper, Cruel Vine, Cruelplant
A fast-growing, woody-based climbing vine from South America, grown for its fragrant white flowers and inflated seed pods. It is a serious invasive weed in many warm regions, so check local rules before planting.
Araujia sericifera is a perennial vining plant in the genus Araujia, of the family Apocynaceae, that is native to South America. The species was described in 1817 by the Portuguese botanist Félix de Avelar Brotero. The synonym Araujia hortorum is in more frequent use in New Zealand. Its common names include bladderflower, white bladderflower, bladder vine, cruel vine, cruel plant, moth plant, moth vine, common moth vine, and false choko.
It was introduced to Europe and other areas as an ornamental plant, but it is now considered a noxious weed. In some countries, such as France, the attractive and abundant fragrant flowering make it a specimen considered worth cultivating. However its strong robustness combined with high seed production can make it invasive in most environments, but not in France due to its sensitivity to frost.
Moth plant is toxic for some people. Skin contact with its sap can cause rashes. Contact with the eyes, in particular, can cause severe discomfort.
The plant is native to South America: Peru mainly, but also Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Araujia sericifera by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
