I saw this Araujia sericifera on the fence at the Morgan Hill community garden. One of the gardeners said it was bitter melon, but I thought it looked more like the “perennial ornamental plant in the genus Araujia belonging to Apocynaceae family.” Apparently the Araujia plant was first described in 1817 by the Portuguese botanist Félix Avelar Brotero, who must have been captivated by the vine’s seedpods to write about it and didn’t think to ask if any of the indigenous people if they knew its name. When I opened one of the pods, I found a mass of seeds arranged perfectly in the center. The seeds are only a few millimeters in size and have this silken gossamer-like filament attached to it, which looks and feels amazing.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia “Araujia serisifera”

Araujia gets its cruel common name from its ability to trap the moths that are attracted to the flowers. Their proboscis gets stuck inside the flower and some moths aren’t able to escape and apparently die. Had I known that their seeds are prolific germinators I would have been careful to not let the seeds spread in the air, but even a light breeze blew them away. Araujia is suppose to be invasive and has the ability to strangle other plants. It has strong stems that seep a milky substance that makes chopping this plant down difficult and potentially harmful to unprotected skin. In a garden it is definitely a handsome plant on a fence. However, you probably need to keep an eye on this one and not let the vine go free to take over unsuspecting plants.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia “Araujia serisifera”

(First published 10/13/2013)