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Ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis)

Ivy gourd is a vigorous perennial vine that can form dense growth and smother other plants. Its persistent tubers and seed-bearing fruit make infestations difficult to eradicate once established.

Key facts

Type: Weed, vine and creeper.

Native to: Tropical Africa and Asia.

Established in: QLD, WA, NT.

Other names: Scarlet gourd, Little gourd, Tindora.

Best time to act: Look for and treat ivy gourd while it is actively growing and easy to trace, ideally before its fruit ripens and seeds can spread.

Identification

  • A climbing or sprawling vine with perennial tubers and tendrils usually divided into one or two branches.
  • Leaves are simple and may be angled or lobed.
  • Male and female flowers grow on separate plants; the flowers are white.
  • Male flowers have three stamens, while female flowers have staminodes.
  • The fleshy fruit turns scarlet when ripe and is about 2.5–6 cm long and 1.5–3.5 cm wide.
  • Look-alike: Other climbing cucurbit vines can have lobed leaves and tendrils, so check for the combination of separate male and female plants and scarlet, fleshy fruit.

Where it grows

In Australia it grows in warm tropical and subtropical areas, including disturbed sites, gardens and vegetation edges.

Why it matters

  • Dense vine growth can smother and outcompete native vegetation and other plants.
  • Its persistent tubers can survive after above-ground growth is removed and produce new shoots.
  • It can become difficult to manage where it establishes in gardens, disturbed land or vegetation margins.

How it spreads

  • Seeds can be spread when animals eat the fleshy fruit and carry or pass the seeds elsewhere.
  • Tubers left in the ground can regrow, and moved soil containing tubers may spread the plant.

Control options

  • Remove small plants carefully, digging out the tubers and collecting fruit; bag and dispose of fruit and plant material so they cannot spread.
  • For established vines, cut the stems near ground level and treat the cut stem with a herbicide registered for the plant and site, following the product label and local guidance.
  • Check treated areas and regrowth regularly, and repeat control as needed to exhaust surviving tubers and prevent fruiting.
  • Check local requirements and report suspected new infestations to the relevant state or territory biosecurity agency where required.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Clean soil and plant fragments from footwear, tools, vehicles and machinery before leaving an infested site, and avoid moving contaminated soil.
  • Collect and contain fruit and seeds during control work, and dispose of them securely.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Restricted matter, categories 3, 5. Do not give it away, sell or release it into the environment; do not keep it. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Not a priority weed. Not a state or regional priority weed in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C3). C3 Management: landholders must manage it to reduce its impact and stop it spreading.
  • Tasmania: Not declared. Not a declared weed in Tasmania. Other laws may still apply.
  • Northern Territory: Not declared. Not on the NT A to Z weed list, and Weeds Australia does not list it as declared in the NT. Check the NT declared weeds list before moving or planting it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Northern Territory: Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976 (NT), administered by NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment

Sources