Resembles Dutchman’s Pipe

Pearl Vine is a sprawling twiner to tall climber. It is dioecious having separate male and female plants. The genus name means fleshy petals. Sometimes found with the exotic invader Dutchman’s Pipe which it superficially resembles, but this is a good vine. It can be found in or around rainforests, and is also seen in eucalyptus forests. Red or yellow flowers occur on racemes in summer. These racemes often grow from old wood on the vine. The flowers are tiny and seldom seen, petals 3 mm long.

Photo: Robert Whyte

Seed collecting and propagation

The fruit is a red drupe, 5 to 8 mm in diameter. They resemble a miniature bunch of grapes. Remove flesh, sow as normal, germinates in 6 weeks on heat bed. Does very well from cuttings with use of rooting hormone.