Cardiospermum halicacabum
balloon-vine, balloonvine, love in a puff, farolitos
Family
Sapindaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Type
biternate, compound
Growth Form
forb, vine
Flower Color
white
Flower Petals
4
Flower Month
June - November
Height (meters)
0.4 - 4.0
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
introduced
Lifespan
annual, biennial, perennial
Growing Season
Warm season
Wetland Class
FAC
Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism
1
Field Characters
Leaflets ovate-lanceolate, rhombic-lanceolate, or lanceolate, 20 - 40 mm long, 10 - 20 mm wide, coarsely dentate or lobed.
Natural History
The Acadian French name for balloon vine is "pois de merveille", or "wonder pea". It is a lax vine that sprawls on the ground and trails over weeds, bushes, and fences. It grows throughout the warmer regions of the Western Hemisphere. Radford et al. (1968) list it as an escape from cultivation.
Habitat
Moist thickets and waste places.