Basellaceae FAMILY

Anredera vesicaria

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial Climber

Growth—

The plant is grown as an ornamental and has sometimes escaped from cultivation and become established outside its native range^[1]. The flowers are functionallv unisexual (unlike most species in this family, the plants are dioecious)^[1]. The plant produces both aerial and subterranean tubers^[1]. This species seems to reproduce well by means of its vegetative tubers, which explains why only staminate individuals have been found in some areas^[1].

Propagation

Seed - Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Anredera+vesicaria>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

[1]A Synopsis of Basellaceae — Eriksson E. · 2007 ↩︎
[2]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
[3]Duke’s handbook of medicinal plants of Latin America — Duke J.A. · Taylor & Francis Group, LLC; Florida · 2009 · ISBN 978-1-4200-4316-7 ↩︎
[4]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region