Lacewing Vine
Adenia heterophylla

Family: Passifloraceae

What it is like

A slender climber. It grows to 20-30 m long. The stem is square. The leaves are heart shaped tapering to the tip. They are bright green and shiny. There are a few teeth along the edge of the leaf. The leaf is 10-15 cm long by 5-10 cm wide. They have 3 pairs of side veins and a pair of glands at the base of the leaf blade. The plant has long tendrils with a thick hook at the end. The flowers are of one sex but male and female flowers occur on the same plant. The male flower clusters has up to 40 flowers. The female has 1-4 flowers. The flowers are small, green and 0.8 cm across. The fruit is a capsule and narrows towards both ends. It hangs from the vine. It is bright red and turns purple. The fruit is 8 cm long by 3 cm wide. It splits into 3. There are many seeds and they are covered with a white pulp. They occur in rows and are grey.

The leaves are favourites for some attractive butterflies. There are 95 Adenia species. They are common in the semiarid regions of Africa.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It occurs in low hills in rainforest and monsoon scrub. In tropical Queensland it grows from sea level to 300 m altitude. It prefers semi shade. It is very sensitive to frost. In XTBG Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Andamans, Asia, Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Philippines, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fruit is eaten when ripe. (The whole fruit including skin and seeds.) The seeds inhibit trypsin unless heated. CAUTION: Most Adenia are poisonous.

It is not known if it is used for food in Papua New Guinea.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, caution

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed. It may be best to ferment the seeds inside the fruit before planting. Stem cuttings can be used. Plants need regular pruning because they grow vigorously.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Adenia cardiocarpa Koord.; Adenia parviflora C. Cusset; Modecca populifolia; Passiflora parviflora Blanco; and others