Araujia sericifera

Araujia sericifera

Bladderflower or white bladderflower, bladder vine, cruel vine, cruel plant, moth plant, moth vine, common moth vine, false choko (Araujia sericifera Brot., 1818) is a climbing shrub species belonging to the Apocynaceae family.

Systematics –
Domain Eukaryota,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Magnoliopsida,
Order Gentianales,
Family Asclepiadaceae,
Subfamily Asclepiadoideae,
Tribe Asclepiadeae,
Genus Araujia,
Species A. sericifera.
The terms are synonymous:
– Apocynum volubile Vell.;
– Apocynum volubine Vell.;
– Araujia albens (Mart.) G.Don;
– Araujia calycina Decne.;
– Araujia hortorum E.Fourn.;
– Araujia sericifera f. calycina (Decne.) Malme;
– Araujia sericifera f. hortorum (E.Fourn.) Augusto & Edesio;
– Araujia sericifera f. hortorum (E.Fourn.) Malme;
– Araujia sericifera var. hortorum (E.Fourn.) Malme;
– Araujia sericofera Brot.;
– Araujia undulata Vis.;
– Physianthus albens Mart..

Etymology –
The genus name Araujia was dedicated to António de Araújo de Azevedo, Conde de Barca (1752-1817), a Portuguese politician and botanist.
The specific epithet sericifera comes from Latin and means silk-bearing or silk-producing, in reference to the silky hairs that surround the seeds inside the fruits and that are used in dried flower arrangements.

Geographical Distribution and Habitat –
Araujia sericifera is a plant native to South America: mainly Peru but also present in Argentina and Brazil.
This plant was introduced to Europe and other areas as an ornamental plant, but is now considered a noxious weed. The plant is now widely distributed in France by horticultural networks as a climbing and scented plant.
As far as Italy is concerned, this, according to bibliographical data, arrived from Australia in 1842. In 2010, its spontaneous growth was reported in the province of Trapani. Its habitat Habitat is that of uncultivated lands with trees and hedges, in forests and in rocky places or cliffs, where it prefers sunny or partially shaded places, at an altitude of 0-1,800 meters above sea level.

Description –
Araujia sericifera is a climbing plant that can climb up to 5-10 meters high.
The leaves are opposite, dark green, shiny and quite fleshy, almost triangular, with entire margins, about 10-12 centimeters long and 1-6 centimeters wide, with an intact leaf margin. The upper part is dark green, bare and shiny, the lower part is gray-green with felt-like hairs.
When a stem, a leaf or an unripe fruit breaks, a milky white juice is produced at the point of break. It is slightly toxic and can cause an allergic skin reaction to the touch.
The stems are thin and sinuous to the right. They branch strongly and can woodify at the base. The plant usually wraps around other plants or around a post or fence bars. The root system consists of a short taproot with superficial lateral roots. The plant’s stems and leaves may die in late summer or early fall, but new shoots will grow on the old stems as climbing support.
The climbing stems bear fragrant, cup-shaped bisexual flowers, about 2 centimeters across, with five white, cream, purple, or pale pink petals.
The flowers are generally pollinated by moths (hence the name “moth plant”), butterflies, and bees (entomophily), but they can self-pollinate.
The flowering period extends from late spring to summer.
The pear-shaped fruits are large pods, about 8-10 centimeters long.
Inside are many black seeds attached to silky hairs that allow them to be distributed by the wind. The fruits resemble those of the chayote or choko (Sechium edule) externally, hence the name false choko.

Cultivation –
Araujia sericifera is an evergreen climbing shrub that produces vigorous, twisting stems up to 12 metres long and produces a tough fibre that is sometimes used to make textiles. The plant is widely grown as an ornamental.
This plant has become naturalised in various places such as along the sandy coasts of the sea in south-western Europe.
For its cultivation, remember that it is a plant of the subtropical areas.
It prefers good clay soil but will do in any fertile soil and requires a sunny position.
The plant is widely grown as an ornamental and has escaped cultivation and become naturalised in many areas of the tropics and subtropics.
It is a very vigorous climbing plant when grown in a suitable position.
The flowers have a very strong scent that can be offensive if you get too close. This scent attracts night-flying moths that seek nectar, but the flowers are designed to trap the moths with their tongues until morning, when those that have survived can escape.
This fast-growing vine can cover the canopy of a tree in two to three years, competing with the tree for light, water, and nutrients. It damages trees by this competition and by twining so tightly around their branches that it girds them.
Propagation can be by seed, which germinates in 3-6 weeks at 20 °C according to one report, while another states 1-6 months at 25 °C.
When large enough to handle, they should be transplanted into individual pots where they should be grown until large enough to plant.
It can also be propagated by cuttings of mature wood from the current season’s growth, in late autumn in a sheltered area in colder climates.

Uses and Traditions –
Araujia sericifera is a plant known by several common names, including bladderflower, white bladderflower, bladder vine, cruel vine, cruel plant, moth plant, moth vine, common moth vine, and false choko (English); jazmín de Tucumán, planta cruel, tasi or miraguano (Spanish).
From an ecological point of view, the plant can be used as an alternative food source for monarch butterfly caterpillars. Although monarch butterfly caterpillars are not known to naturally occur on the plant, they readily feed on the leaves when supplies of Gomphocarpus physocarpus are exhausted.
The plant is toxic to some people. Skin contact with its sap can cause rashes. Contact with the eyes, in particular, can cause serious discomfort.
The plant can be used for various purposes; among them food; the fruits, in fact, can be consumed after preparation, although no further details are provided.
There are no known medicinal uses.
Among other uses, it is reported that the stems yield a resistant fiber that can be used to make fabrics.
The fiber is used in the same way as that of several species of Bombax (Cotton plants).

Preparation Method –
Araujia sericifera is a plant that has, predominantly, ornamental uses or even to be used as a plant for textile use.
In addition to a marginal nutritional role (the processed fruits are consumed) it plays an interesting role in the ecological field as a food plant for some insects that, however, often remain trapped in its flowers.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora delle Regioni italiane.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (edited by), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Pharmacy of the Lord, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/344968266/original.jpg
– https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araujia_sericifera#/media/Archivo:Flickr_-_BioDivLibrary_-_n32_w1150_(3).jpg

Warning: The pharmaceutical applications and alimurgic uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not represent in any way a medical prescription; therefore, any responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic or nutritional purposes is declined.