White bryony

White bryony is a soft, climbing, cucumber-like perennial vine that grows to 6 metres tall with curling tendrils.

Description

• Stems are soft and slender with coiling tendrils,

• Leaves are thin with 5-lobed leaves. The middle lobe is the longest.

• Flowers are tubular and whiteish with green stripes

• Fruits are round, smooth-skinned and succulent (4-8 mm diameter). They are visible from January to March, ripening from yellow to red, containing numerous seeds.

• Seeds dispersed by birds. Vegetative spread from tuber fragments, dispersed by water and soil movement.

• Habitats include disturbed forest, shrubland, riparian margins, cliffs, rocky outcrops, plantations, and fence lines.

What you need to know

White bryony smothers and suppresses native vegetation. Its fruit and tubers may also be toxic to humans.

Management approach

White bryony is declared an unwanted organism by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) because it is capable of causing harm to the natural environment, physical resources or human health in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

These species pose a high risk to our environment, economy, recreation, and cultural values.

Rules

Any species declared a pest cannot be sold or be in a place where plants are being sold. Pest plants cannot be propagated, bred, multiplied, communicated, released, caused to be released, or otherwise spread.

Control

Do not attempt to undertake control of white bryony yourself. Report sightings to the MPI on Exotic Pest Hotline at 0800 80 99 66 or the online reporting form.