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Opened fruit, arrangement of the seeds; By H. Zell (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Flower (diam. about 8mm); By H. Zell (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Flower und beginning of development of fruits; By H. Zell (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Developping fruits; By H. Zell (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Unripe fruits (diam. about 5 - 6 cm); By H. Zell (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ripe fruits (diam. about 5 - 6 cm); By H. Zell (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Opened fruit, arrangement of the seeds; By H. Zell (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Plant with unripe fruits; By H. Zell (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

close-up of seeds (Photo: Steve Hurst at USDA PLANTS Database)

Seeds (seed diam. about 4 mm). By H. Zell (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Cardiospermum halicacabum

Scientific Name

Cardiospermum halicacabum L. var. halicacabum

Family

Sapindaceae

Common Names

balloon vine, balloon-vine, balloonvine, balloonvine heartseed, heart pea, heart-pea, heartseed, love in a puff, love-in-a-puff, small balloon creeper, small balloon vine, winter-cherry

Origin

Native to Africa (i.e. Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa), the Caribbean and tropical South America (i.e. Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay).

Naturalised Distribution

Considered to be naturalised in many parts of northern and eastern Australia (i.e. Queensland, northern and south-western Western Australia, some parts of New South Wales and the northern parts of the Northern Territory). There is some doubt as to the native/naturalised status of this species, and in the Northern Territory it is regarded to probably be a pre-European introduction. Also naturalised on Christmas Island.

Notes

A scrambling, creeping, or climbing vine that is a weed of gardens, roadsides, disturbed sites and plantations in northern Australia. This garden escape is regarded as an environmental weed in Western Australia, and as a minor or potential environmental weed in the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales.

Small balloon vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum var. halicacabum) is currently of most concern in the Kimberley region, in northern Western Australia, where it invades disturbed natural areas (e.g. river beds, creekbanks and floodplain vegetation).