Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt

Synonyms

Bryonia grandis L.
Coccinia cordifolia (L.) Cogn. (misapplied)

Family

Cucurbitaceae

Common Names

ivy gourd, little gourd, scarlet fruited gourd, scarlet gourd, scarlet-fruited gourd

Origin

Native to tropical Africa (i.e. Chad, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo), China, the Indian Sub-continent (i.e. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), south-eastern Asia (i.e. Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea), Fiji and also some parts of northern Australia (i.e. it is thought to be native to the northern parts of the Northern Territory).

Naturalised Distribution

Naturalised in northern Queensland and in the coastal districts of northern Western Australia (e.g. Broome, South Hedland and Arnhem Land). Possibly also naturalised, or naturalised beyond its native range, in the Northern Territory.

Notes

This very aggressive smothering vine is regarded as being native to some parts of the Northern Territory. However, it is invasive in other parts of the world and it thought to pose a threat to the environment in many parts of Australia beyond its native range (i.e. in the monsoon zone of northern Australia and the tropical and sub-tropical humid zones of coastal Queensland and northern New South Wales).

Ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis) could infest the dry rainforests of the monsoon zone, the tropical and sub-tropical rainforests of the humid coastal zones, and riparian vegetation in these and other locations. This species is already a significant environmental weed in Hawaii, where it smothers remnant native vegetation. It climbs and envelops shrubs and trees, forming a dense canopy that impedes light penetration and prevents the growth and regeneration of native plants. It has also become invasive in Guam and Saipan, and is listed in the Global Invasive Species Database.