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Madeira vine (Anredera cordifolia)

A fleshy climbing vine that smothers trees and can bring down the canopy. It spreads by small aerial tubers that drop from the stems and can survive for years.

Key facts

Type: Weed, vine and creeper.

Native to: South America.

Established in: QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, WA.

Other names: Lamb's tail, Potato vine.

Identification

  • Twining vine with fleshy, glossy, heart-shaped leaves.
  • Knobbly, potato-like tubers along the stems and in the ground.
  • Drooping spikes of small, fragrant cream flowers, resembling a lamb's tail.

Where it grows

Riparian vegetation, rainforest margins, coastal bushland and gardens.

Why it matters

  • Smothers and collapses trees.
  • Prevents regeneration under infested canopies.

How it spreads

  • Aerial and ground tubers moved by gravity, water and people.
  • Dumped garden waste.

Control options

  • Scrape and paint stems with registered herbicide, or cut and treat, leaving vines hanging to die.
  • Collect and destroy fallen tubers.
  • A leaf-feeding beetle has been released as a biological control agent.
  • Expect many years of follow-up.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Do not pull vines down, as this scatters tubers.
  • Bag tubers for disposal, never compost them.
  • 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): Weed of National Significance. One of 32 nationally agreed priority weeds, managed through national strategies with all states and territories.
  • Queensland: Restricted matter, category 3. Do not give it away, sell or release it into the environment. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Sale prohibited; Regional priority in 2 of 11 regions. It must not be imported into NSW or sold anywhere in the state. Regional priority weed in Central Tablelands, North West. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Restricted weed. Where it is a restricted weed, trade in it (including the plant, its seed or contaminated material) is prohibited.
  • South Australia: Declared plant. Depending on the declaration, it can be an offence to move it on public roads or sell it, and landowners may be required to control it on their land.
  • Western Australia: Permitted, not declared. Listed as a permitted organism in WA, so it can be brought in, but it is not a declared pest.
  • Tasmania: Declared weed. Property managers are required by law to control declared weeds, and their import and sale are prohibited.
  • Northern Territory: Check NT list. There is no NT weed profile for it. Check the NT declared weeds list for its current status.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Declared pest, notifiable, prohibited. It is a declared pest throughout the ACT. You must report it to ACT Biosecurity. Dealing with it, such as selling, moving or keeping it, is prohibited.

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)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources