Scientific Name

Syngonium angustatum Schott

Synonyms

Syngonium podophyllum Schott (misapplied)

Common Names

arrowhead vine, fivefingers, goosefoot, syngonium

Family

Araceae

Origin

Native to Mexico and Central America (i.e. Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua).

Naturalised Distribution

Naturalised in south-eastern Queensland, and possibly more widely naturalised throughout the coastal districts of eastern Queensland.

Also naturalised overseas in south-eastern USA (i.e. Florida) and on some Pacific islands.

Notes

Syngoniums (Syngonium spp.) are regarded as environmental weeds in Queensland, where they invade urban bushland, riparian vegetation, coastal environs, open woodlands and closed forests. Until recently Syngonium podophyllum was thought to be the only problem species in Queensland, but there are actually three closely related species present in this state (i.e. Syngonium podophyllum, Syngonium neglectum and Syngonium angustatum).

Field observations indicate that all three species are equally invasive and common in bushland in south-eastern Queensland. Since Syngonium angustatum has been mistaken for Syngonium podophyllum in the past, it may also be much more widespread in other parts of Queensland.

climbing habit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	habit growing on a fence (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	creeping habit with relatively narrow, variegated, juvenile leaves (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	close-up of narrow, arrowhead-shaped, juvenile leaf (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
three-lobed intermediate leaves at the base of the climbing stems (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	close-up of thick fleshy climbing stems with aerial roots beginning to develop (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	much larger adult leaves with several relatively narrow leaflets (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	close-up of upper side of leaf stalk showing raised ridge (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
leaflet undersides (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	the flower clusters are borne in groups of 4-7 in the forks of the fleshy upper leaf stalks (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	older flower clusters and immature fruit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	close-up of cream-coloured, cross-shaped, male flowers with sunken tips that are partially enclosed in a green bract (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
an older flower cluster in which the male flowers have turned pale brown and the bract has turned whitish or pale yellow (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	an immature fruit, with brownish-coloured bract and no male flowers (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	close-up of immature fruit beginning to develop from green female flowers (Photo: Sheldon Navie)	'seedling' (Photo: Sheldon Navie)