Balloon vine

• Vine up to 10m tall.
• Leaves are made up of 9 leaflets, which have toothed margins and are dark green, 6–16cm long.
• Leaf stalk is 2–10cm long with 3 leaflets.
• Flowers are white and 8–10mm.
• Flowers grow in clusters with tendrils at base and in leaf axils.
• Fruit capsules are inflated, 6-ribbed, 4–8cm long, covered with stiff hairs, contain 3 seeds.
• Seeds are blackish, round, about 7mm wide.

• Can grow in gardens and riparian areas.

• Visit Weeds Australia and click on the distribution tab to access the distribution map.

• Flowers in spring and summer.
• Seedlings germinate most of the year on disturbed land.

Environmental

• Smothers native vegetation.
• Prevents plants from receiving sunlight needed for photosynthesis.

• Seeds spread by wind and water.

• Find out how farmers can prevent weed spread.
• Find out how gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts can prevent weed spread.

Physical control

• Manually remove small infestations.
• Hand-pull roots.
• Use a brush hook or similar to remove thicker growth from top of plant.

Herbicide control

• Combine manual and herbicide control to prevent regrowth.

Read the balloon or heart seed vine fact sheet (PDF, 1.7MB) for herbicide control and application rates.

Biological control

• No known biological control agents.

• Balloon vine is a category 3 restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014.
• It must not be given away, sold, or released into the environment. Penalties may apply.
• You must take all reasonable and practical measures to minimise the biosecurity risks associated with dealing with balloon vine under your control. This is called a general biosecurity obligation (GBO).
• At a local level, each local government agency must have a biosecurity plan that covers invasive plants in its area. This plan may include actions to be taken on balloon vine. Some of these actions may be required under local laws. Contact your local council for more information.