Purple or ornamental rubber vine
Purple rubber vine close-up
© F & K Starr Creative Commons
Purple rubber vine habit
© F & K Starr Creative Commons
Purple rubber vine infestation
© F & K Starr Creative Commons
Native to north-western Madagascar, purple (or ornamental) rubber vine grows supported as a many-stemmed vine or unsupported as a small shrub. It can threaten waterways and vine forests.
Purple rubber vine is closely related to rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora), which is one of Queensland's most destructive weeds.
You must manage the impacts of Purple or ornamental rubber vine on your land.
You must not give away, sell or release Purple or ornamental rubber vine into the environment.
Scientific name
Other names
- Ornamental rubber vine, Madagascar rubber vine, purple allamanda
Description
- Shrub up to 3m tall if unsupported.
- Stems can climb to 10m if supported.
- Bark is sparsely dotted with corky patches.
- Leaves are dark green, glossy, with pale underside, 2–11cm long, 1.5–5.5cm wide, arranged in opposite pairs.
- Flowers are pink-purple, 4–6cm long, found near branchlet ends.
- Pods are 7–9cm long, contain seeds 5–5.9mm long, 1.8–3.5mm wide, topped with silky tuft of white hairs.
- Plant produces milky latex sap when leaves, fruit or branches are cut.
Habitat
- Prefers tropical and subtropical regions.
Distribution
- Sparingly naturalised in South East Queensland.
Life cycle
- Flowers mainly during summer.
Impacts
Environmental
- Threatens waterways and vine forests.
Economic
- Threatens pastures.
How it is spread
- Spread mainly by wind-dispersed seeds, water, and dumping of garden waste.
Prevention
Control
Physical control
- Dig out vine and follow up on missed plants.
Mechanical control
- For scattered or medium-density infestations, repeatedly slash close to ground level if possible.
Herbicide control
- Herbicides are effective in a variety of application methods.
Read the Rubber vine fact sheet (PDF, 2.9MB) for herbicide control and application rates.
Biological control
- No known biological control agents.
Legal requirements
- Purple or ornamental rubber vine is a category restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014.
- You must not give away, sell or release purple or ornamental rubber vine into the environment. Penalties may apply.
- You must take all reasonable and practical measures to minimise the biosecurity risks associated with dealing with purple or ornamental rubber 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 purple or ornamental rubber vine. Some of these actions may be required under local laws. Contact your local council for more information.