Anredera cordifolia; Madeira vine; 'uala hupe

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This is a weed vine growing on my farm at 800 ft. in South Kona. It produces these tubers which make it hard to get rid of. It likes shady places. The leaves are fleshy. It's not flowering now, but inflorescenses are racemes of tiny, whitish flowers

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bishop_museum_online says:

Aloha -
This looks like Anredera cordifolia, the Madeira vine. It is in the Basellaceae family. Native to South America, it is commonly cultivated in Hawaii, and is now naturalized. It is spread mostly by those little tubers.

Shelley James
Botany
Bishop Museum
Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )

balloonfish says:

mahalo!

Why would this be cultivated? Are the tubers edible? It doesn't seem particularly attractive.
Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )

Rand_G says:

After a little research, yes, the tubers are edible. Another Basellaceae family that is being cultivated is the Malabar Spinach which is currently growing in my garden and producing large fleshy leaves.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )

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Taken with a Canon PowerShot SD850 IS.
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Taken on April 26, 2008

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