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Stinking passionflower (Passiflora foetida)

Stinking passionflower is a widely naturalised weed in northern and eastern Australia and is regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia. It is also a weed of crops and pastures in northern Australia, and its leaves are thought to be poisonous to people and livestock.

Key facts

Type: Weed, vine and creeper.

Native to: Southern USA, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America.

Established in: QLD, NSW, WA, NT.

Other names: Fetid passionflower, Fit-weed, Love-in-a-mist, Wild passionfruit.

Best time to act: Look for plants when flowering or fruiting, mainly from February to November, and treat them before ripe fruit can be dispersed.

Identification

  • A climbing or scrambling vine that can grow up to 9 m high, with sticky hairs over most of the plant and an unpleasant-smelling stem.
  • Stems have tendrils at the bases of alternately arranged leaves; the leaves are usually three-lobed, but may be entire or five-lobed.
  • Flowers are pinkish, white or purplish, about 3–5 cm across, and sit singly in leaf forks within deeply divided bracts covered in large sticky hairs.
  • The somewhat hairy fruit are 1.5–4 cm long, turn from green to yellow or orange as they mature, and remain partly enclosed by the bracts.
  • Look-alike: It may be confused with corky passion vine (Passiflora suberosa) or white passionflower (Passiflora subpeltata).
  • Look-alike: Stinking passionflower has hairy stems and leaves and deeply divided, sticky floral bracts.

Where it grows

In Australia it grows in tropical and subtropical areas, including roadsides, disturbed sites, waste areas, watercourses, forests, woodlands, sugarcane plantations and coastal environments.

Why it matters

  • It is regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia.
  • It is also a weed of crops and pastures in northern Australia.
  • The leaves contain cyanic acid and are thought to be poisonous to people and livestock.

How it spreads

  • The plant reproduces by seed.
  • Birds and bats commonly spread the seeds after eating the ripe fruit.

Control options

  • Hand-pull small plants, removing the roots, and contain the plant material so fruit or seeds are not spread.
  • For larger vines, use an appropriate approved method, such as cutting and removing the vine; where suitable, treat the cut stump with a herbicide registered for the site and use, strictly following its label.
  • Check treated areas regularly and remove regrowth and new seedlings before they produce ripe fruit.
  • Check local requirements with the relevant land manager or state biosecurity agency before treatment or disposal.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Before leaving an infested site, remove and contain fruit and plant material and clean soil and plant debris from boots, tools, vehicles and machinery.
  • Do not transport fruit or contaminated plant material to uninfested sites.
  • 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: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. 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: Permitted, not declared. Listed as a permitted organism in WA, so it can be brought in, but it is not a declared pest.
  • Tasmania: Not declared. Not a declared weed in Tasmania. Other laws may still apply.
  • 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: 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)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • 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