Parsonsia straminea
Plant Number: 44
Common Name: Monkey
Rope Vine, Silkpod
Scientific Name: Parsonsia straminea
Derivation of name
Parsonia – in honour of James Parsons 1705-1770 a London physician and botanical author
straminea – is from a Latin word, 'straminea' meaning chaffy, or straw coloured, and is referring to the straw coloured hairs on the seeds
Description
- A strong vine which prefers moist, partially shaded habitats and clings to the trunks of surrounding trees and shrubs
- Flowers are clusters of small, cream/white or pinkish coloured flowers which are tube-shaped and perfumed in spring, summer and autumn
- Fruit are long cigar shaped woody seed pods up to 16 cm long which release numerous seeds with fine white silky hairs which are carried by the wind
Human uses
The
vine was used as a string or rope by indigenous people.
Fauna Usage
The
flowers are visited by a number of insects (i.e. red clown bug) as well as bird
species. The leaves are food for caterpillars of the Blue Tiger and Common Crow
butterflies, while old vines are used by ringtail possums to nest.
Acknowledgment: Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants,
Australian Plants Society South East NSW group, Mangrove to Mountains, Noosa
Native Plants