Family: Basellaceae

Anredera cordifolia (Madeira-vine) is a fast-growing, twining vine native to South America. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental for its attractive, heart-shaped leaves and fragrant, cream-colored flowers that hang in dense, cascading clusters. The plant thrives in warm, humid environments and can grow from both seed and vegetative parts, especially its fleshy underground tubers and aerial bulbils, which allow it to spread rapidly once established.

In Hawaii, Madeira-vine is naturalized on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i. It poses a threat to native forests and other natural areas by smothering vegetation, toppling trees with its heavy mass, and forming dense mats that are extremely difficult to remove. Because it regenerates readily from even small fragments, control is challenging once established. Madeira-vine should not be planted or shared. Gardeners seeking similar lush, trailing foliage should instead consider low-risk alternatives.

Description and Dispersal:

• evergreen climber
  
• grows from fleshy rhizomes
  
• heart-shaped, fleshy shiny leaves 4–13 cm (1.6–5.1 in) long
  
• cream-colored flowers on dependent racemes

High Risk Traits:

• Broad climate suitability (tropical/subtropical)
  
• Tolerates a wide range of soils
  
• History of repeated introductions as an ornamental
  
• Naturalized and invasive globally
  
• Classified as agricultural and environmental weed
  
• Climbing/smothering growth habit; forms dense infestations
  
• "Transformer species" that alters ecosystems
  
• Shade tolerant
  
• Reproduces prolifically via aerial and underground tubers
  
• Grows rapidly (up to 1 m/week)
  
• Dispersed by humans (garden waste, machinery) and water
  
• High propagule production (up to 1,500 tubers/m²)
  
• Persistent tuber bank (viable for 2–5 years)
  
• No effective natural enemies in invaded ranges

Low Risk Traits:

• Rarely produces viable seeds
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Not parasitic
  
• Palatable to some livestock
  
• Not toxic to humans; edible
  
• Does not create a fire hazard
  
• No wind, bird, or external animal dispersal of seeds