Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Stephania japonica var. discolor

Flowers. Photographer Jackie Miles

Flowers, fruit, and leaves. Photographer Don Wood, Bangalee Reserve near Nowra

Fruit and leaves. Photographer Don Wood, Carnarvon Station Bush Heritage Reserve via Augathella, Qld

Common name

Snake Vine, Tape Vine

Family

Menispermaceae

Where found

Forest, coastal shrubland, coastal dunes, and near streams. Coast and ranges.

Notes

Climber with twining stems, to several metres high. Fruit fleshy. Young stems hairy with fine hairs, often becoming hairless. Leaves alternating up the stems, 4–18 cm long, 40–150 mm wide; peltate, bases broadly rounded to slightly cordate, tips usually more or less gradually tapering to a point, surfaces hairless. Male and female flowers on different plants. Flowers with 3 or 4 petals each 0.5-1 mm long, and 6 or 8 sepals in two whorls, each about 1 mm long. Male flowers white to cream or greenish, female flowers greenish. Flowers mostly summer. Flowers in head-like clusters mostly 4–8 cm long. Fruit red at maturity, more or less oval, 2–8 mm long.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=in&name=Stephania~japonica+var.~discolor (accessed 7 February, 2021)