Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Sarcopetalum harveyanum

Flowers and leaf. Photographer Don Wood, Bodalla State Forest near Bodalla

Fruit, leaf, and stem. Photographer Jackie Miles

Vine. Photographer Jackie Miles

Common name

Pearl vine

Family

Menispermaceae

Where found

Forest, shrubland, sand dunes, and along streams. Coast and ranges.

Notes

Sprawling twiner to woody climber with stems to several metres long. Petals and fruit fleshy. Older stems with woody warty outgrowths. Stems hairless. Leaves alternating up the stems, 4–15 cm long, 20–150 mm wide, more or less leathery, hairless; prominently 7-veined from the base, veins prominently raised on both surfaces, bases usually cordate, sometimes slightly peltate with the stalk inserted up to 3 mm from the basal margin of the leaf, margins entire or occasionally with a few teeth, tips blunt or gradually tapering to a point. Male and female flowers on different plants. Flowers red-yellow, white or cream to pink, or greenish, with 2-6 petals each about 2-3 mm long. Flowers in elongated clusters 2-16 cm long. Flowering: summer. Fruit red to orange when ripe, round to pear shaped, 5–10 mm long and wide.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Sarcopetalum~harveyanum (accessed 6 February, 2021)