MONKEY’S COMB

Pithecoctenium

Description Fast-growing vine with climbing tendrils and white trumpet-like flowers.

Leaves Heart-shaped, opposite, made up of 2–3 leaflets, 2.5–8 cm long and 2–5 cm wide. A tendril often replaces the terminal leaflet.

Flowers White to yellow, tubular and up to 5 cm long and 2 cm wide.

Fruit Thick woody, elliptic capsule with dense prickles.

Seeds Surrounded by a transparent wing.

Stems Hexagonal and ribbed with many-branched tendrils.

Dispersal Seed dispersed by wind. Vegetative reproduction from stem fragments dispersed by waterways or dumped garden waste.

Confused with Introduced species Orange trumpet creeper (Pyrostegia venusta) and Argentine trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegioides)

Control Contact your local Rous County Council Weed Biosecurity Officer for control advice and disposal. Manually remove small plants. Carefully remove all plant fragments that are in contact with the soil. Dispose of plant material appropriately. Infestations growing into the canopy may be treated with herbicide using basal barking or cut, scrape and paint.

RUBBER VINE Cryptostegia grandiflora

PROHIBITED MATTER – REPORT THIS WEED (02) 6623 3800

Description A deep rooted, multi-stemmed shrub that can climb 30 m into tree canopies.

Leaves Opposite, thick, dark green, glossy, oval-shaped, 6–10 cm long and 3–5 cm wide, with a tapered end and a pointed tip. The midvein of the leaf is red or purplish.

Flowers Light purple, pink or white trumpet-shaped, up to 5 cm long and wide. Flowers year round but mainly in summer.

Fruit Pods up to 12 cm long and 4 cm wide, usually in pairs at the end of short stalks. Sometimes a single pod or three pods are present.

Stems Greyish brown, smooth and dotted with small pores. Contain a milky sap that seeps out when broken.

Dispersal Seed dispersed by wind, waterways, attached to animals or in mud on machinery.

Confused with Weed species Ornamental rubber vine (Cryptosptegia madagescariensis)

Control Please do not attempt to treat or dispose of this weed yourself. Call (02) 6623 3800 if you see this plant anywhere in the Far North Coast region.

ALL PARTS OF THE PLANT CONTAIN CARDIAC GLYCOSIDES AND ARE HIGHLY POISONOUS TO LIVESTOCK, HORSES AND PEOPLE.