Pandorea pandorana
Encyclopedia
Pandorea pandorana, commonly known as the Wonga Wonga Vine, is a species of woody climbing vine
in the family Bignoniaceae
. It is found across Australia
, New Guinea, and the eastern Indonesian islands of Seram
and Lombok
. It forms large pointed pods filled with papery seeds. It is easy to germinate, having two-lobed dicotyledons. It is a popular garden plant, common cultivars include the yellow-flowered P. "Golden Showers", the white-flowered P. "Snowbells", and the pinkish P. "Ruby Belle". The wood was used as in making spears for woomeras in the Central and Western deserts.
in 1800 as Bignonia pandorana, before being given its current binomial name in 1928 by Steenis in 1928. Both the generic and specific name are derived from Greek mythological
figure Pandora
. The Scottish botanist Robert Brown
had described it as Tecoma australis but this name was ruled invalid. A form found in dryer inland regions was previously known as P. doratoxylon.
The subspecies austrocaledonica
, known locally as Boat Vine, is known from New Caledonia, Vanauatu and Lord Howe Island.
and Lombok
. It is also found on Flinders Island
in Bass Strait
, but not in Tasmania. There is some evidence of naturalisation in New Zealand where it has been grown as a garden plant.
It occurs in many habitats, from rainforest, to dry sclerophyll forest, to dry scrub and rocky outcrops in arid regions. It can grow in either clay or sand-based soils.
-cast spears among the people of the Central and Western Deserts. Its versatility allowed short pieces to be spliced together if longer ones could not be found. Due to its cultural significance, a group of mythological women with slender and flexible bodies were named after it.
under the auspices of Joséphine de Beauharnais
. Its floral display makes it a popular and widely grown garden plant. It is an evergreen, half-hardy (hardy to about minus 5°C once established), twining plant with lovely foliage, particularly so on young plants when it is very finely cut and somewhat fern-like. It is suitable for indoor or outdoor planting. Pruning is necessary to control the quick growing plant, which can overwhelm other plants in a small garden. The plant prefers full-sun to partial shade. It has been argued that the more sun it receives, the more flowers will bloom as a result. The species may be propagated by fresh seed or semi hard wood tip cuttings.
The Nursery and Garden Industry in Australia promoted P. pandorana as a native alternative to the invasive garden climber Black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata
).
Several different coloured varieties have become available in Australia and the United States.
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
in the family Bignoniaceae
Bignoniaceae
The Bignoniaceae, or Trumpet Creeper Family, is a family of flowering plants comprising about 650-750 species in 116-120 genera. Members of the family are mostly trees and lianas , shrubs and more rarely herbaceous plants. As climber plants, they are twine climbers or tendril climbers, and rarely...
. It is found across Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Guinea, and the eastern Indonesian islands of Seram
Seram
Seram is an island in the Maluku province of Indonesia. It is located north of Ambon Island. The chief port/town is Masohi.- Geography and geology :...
and Lombok
Lombok
Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east...
. It forms large pointed pods filled with papery seeds. It is easy to germinate, having two-lobed dicotyledons. It is a popular garden plant, common cultivars include the yellow-flowered P. "Golden Showers", the white-flowered P. "Snowbells", and the pinkish P. "Ruby Belle". The wood was used as in making spears for woomeras in the Central and Western deserts.
Taxonomy
The species was first described by English botanist Henry Charles AndrewsHenry Charles Andrews
Henry Charles Andrews , was an English botanist, botanical artist and engraver.He lived in Knightsbridge and was married to the daughter of John Kennedy of Hammersmith, a nurseryman who assisted Andrews in the descriptions of the plants he illustrated.He was an accomplished and unusual botanical...
in 1800 as Bignonia pandorana, before being given its current binomial name in 1928 by Steenis in 1928. Both the generic and specific name are derived from Greek mythological
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
figure Pandora
Pandora
In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman. As Hesiod related it, each god helped create her by giving her unique gifts...
. The Scottish botanist Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
had described it as Tecoma australis but this name was ruled invalid. A form found in dryer inland regions was previously known as P. doratoxylon.
The subspecies austrocaledonica
Pandorea pandorana subsp. austrocaledonica
Pandorea pandorana subsp. austrocaledonica is a woody climbing vine in the Trumpet Creeper family. The Boat Vine occurs naturally only at Lord Howe Island, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. A common plant, found at altitudes ranging from sea level to over 500 metres above sea level.The compound leaves...
, known locally as Boat Vine, is known from New Caledonia, Vanauatu and Lord Howe Island.
Description
Pandorea pandorana ranges in habit from a scrambling plant to a vigorous vine, growing on larger trees in forested habitats. It has glossy green leaves arranged oppositely along the stem. The pinnate leaves are around 8–16 cm (3–6.5 in) long and have 3–9 leaflets of varying widths. The juvenile leaves are finer and have serrated margins, and more finely divided into 7–13 leaflets. Flowering occurs in spring. The tubular or funnel-shaped flowers are highly variable in colour, ranging from cream-white or all-white to maroon-throated, burgundy or even yellow-orange. Flowering is followed in summer by 3–8 cm (1.4–3.4 in) long and 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) wide oblong-shaped seed pods, which are initially bright green before turning brown and releasing numerous papery seeds around 1-1.5 cm (0.5 in) in diameter which are released in large quantities.Distribution and habitat
A highly variable species, it is found across continental Australia in every state. It is also found in New Guinea, and on the Indonesian islands of SeramSeram
Seram is an island in the Maluku province of Indonesia. It is located north of Ambon Island. The chief port/town is Masohi.- Geography and geology :...
and Lombok
Lombok
Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east...
. It is also found on Flinders Island
Flinders Island
Flinders Island may refer to:In Australia:* Flinders Island , in the Furneaux Group, is the largest and best known* Flinders Island * Flinders Island , in the Investigator Group* Flinders Island...
in Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
, but not in Tasmania. There is some evidence of naturalisation in New Zealand where it has been grown as a garden plant.
It occurs in many habitats, from rainforest, to dry sclerophyll forest, to dry scrub and rocky outcrops in arid regions. It can grow in either clay or sand-based soils.
Uses
The highly flexible wood of Pandorea pandorana was the most sought-after for use in woomeraWoomera (spear-thrower)
A woomera is an Australian Aboriginal spear-throwing device used for when there is a greater distance to be overcome. It is highly efficient and made of wood. Similar to an atlatl, it enables a spear to travel much further than by arm strength alone...
-cast spears among the people of the Central and Western Deserts. Its versatility allowed short pieces to be spliced together if longer ones could not be found. Due to its cultural significance, a group of mythological women with slender and flexible bodies were named after it.
Cultivation
Pandorea pandorana was taken to England in 1793, and had flowered in cultivation by 1805. Material was also sent to the garden of the Château de MalmaisonChâteau de Malmaison
The Château de Malmaison is a country house in the city of Rueil-Malmaison about 12 km from Paris.It was formerly the residence of Joséphine de Beauharnais, and with the Tuileries, was from 1800 to 1802 the headquarters of the French government.-History:Joséphine de Beauharnais bought the...
under the auspices of Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she had been imprisoned in the Carmes prison until her release five days after Alexandre's...
. Its floral display makes it a popular and widely grown garden plant. It is an evergreen, half-hardy (hardy to about minus 5°C once established), twining plant with lovely foliage, particularly so on young plants when it is very finely cut and somewhat fern-like. It is suitable for indoor or outdoor planting. Pruning is necessary to control the quick growing plant, which can overwhelm other plants in a small garden. The plant prefers full-sun to partial shade. It has been argued that the more sun it receives, the more flowers will bloom as a result. The species may be propagated by fresh seed or semi hard wood tip cuttings.
The Nursery and Garden Industry in Australia promoted P. pandorana as a native alternative to the invasive garden climber Black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata
Thunbergia alata
Thunbergia alata, commonly called Black-eyed Susan vine, is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant species in the Acanthaceae family. It is native to Eastern Africa, and has been naturalized in other parts of the world...
).
Cultivars
- P. "Golden Showers" is a long-flowering vigorous form with brown-tinted yellow flowers originally selected from a plant growing near KempseyKempsey, New South WalesKempsey is a town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia and is the council seat for Kempsey Shire. It is located 15 kilometres inland from the coast of the Pacific Ocean where the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line cross the Macleay River...
on the New South Wales mid-north coast. Initially called "Golden Rain", it was registered by ACRA after 1986.
- P. "Ruby Belle" has a red-pink flower with cream throat
- P. "Ruby Heart" has a cream-coloured flower with a deep ruby–maroon blotch at the throat.
- P. "Snowbells", also known as P. "alba", is a vigorous cream-white flowered form, with profuse fragrant flowers.