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Taxon:  Araujia sericifera Brot.



Summary
Genus:
Araujia
Family:
Apocynaceae
Subfamily:
Asclepiadoideae
Tribe:
Asclepiadeae
Subtribe:
Oxypetalinae
Nomen number:
3841
Place of publication:
Trans. Linn. Soc. London 12:62, t. 4-5. 1818 "sericofera" ("1817")
Verified:
03/28/2006 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
0 (0  active, 0  available) in Australian Pastures Genebank. 
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
No images


Reference(s)
  1. Aldén, B., S. Ryman & M. Hjertson. Våra kulturväxters namn - ursprung och användning. Formas, Stockholm (Handbook on Swedish cultivated and utility plants, their names and origin). 2009
  2. Allan, H. H. B. et al. Flora of New Zealand. 1961-
  3. Angely, J. A. 1970. Flora analítica e fitográfica do Estado de São Paulo. 1970-
  4. Angely, J. A. Flora analitica do Parana. 1965
  5. Barton, J. 2008. The noose tightens for moth plant. What's New Biol. Control Weeds 45:6-7.
  6. Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45. 1993
  7. Bruyns, P. V. 1996. pers. comm.
  8. Encke, F. et al. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage. 1984
  9. Farr, E. R. et al., eds. Index nomina genericorum. 1979; suppl. 1986
  10. Forster, P. I. & P. V. Bruyns. 1992. Clarification of synonymy for the common moth-vine Araujia sericifera (Asclepiadaceae). Taxon 41:746-749.
  11. Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
  12. George, A. S., ed. Flora of Australia. 1980-
  13. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14. 2003
  14. Hanelt, P., ed. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6. 2001
  15. Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17. 1993
  16. Henderson, L. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12. 2001
  17. Huxley, A., ed. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 1992
  18. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. 2008
  19. Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
  20. Kartesz, J. T. North American plant atlas. The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2011
  21. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. Flora SSSR. 1934-1964
  22. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. Hortus third. 1976
  23. Mabberley, D. J. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2. 1997
  24. Reitz, R., ed. Flora ilustrada catarinense. 1965-
  25. Terrell, E. E. et al. Agric. Handb. no. 505. 1986
  26. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. Flora europaea. 1964-1980
  27. USDA/ARS. INVADERS database system. The University of Montana (on-line resource).
  28. Weber, E. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds. 2003
  29. Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74. 1996, 1999
Common names
English
bladder-flower –
Cape-dandelion –
cruelplant –
moth-catcher –
mothplant –
mothvine –
Peruvian-creeper –
white mothplant –
white mothvine –
Afrikaans
motvanger –
Portuguese (Brazil)
cipó-de-sapo –
Swedish
fjärilsgömma –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilMinas Gerais 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilParana 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilRio de Janeiro 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilRio Grande do Sul 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilSanta Catarina 
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilSao Paulo 
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaBuenos Aires 
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaCorrientes 
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaEntre Rios 
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaMisiones 
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentinaSanta Fe 
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaParaguayAlto Parana 
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaParaguayGuaira 
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaParaguayItapua 
1NativeSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaUruguay  
2Cultivated     
2CultivatedSouthern AmericaSouthern South AmericaArgentina  
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalAzores 
4NaturalizedAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalMadeira Islands 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaLesotho  
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaEastern Cape 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaGauteng 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaKwaZulu-Natal 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaNorth West 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaWestern Cape 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaAustr. Capital Terr. 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaNew South Wales 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaQueensland 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaSouth Australia 
4NaturalizedAustralasiaNew ZealandNew Zealand  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropePortugal  
4NaturalizedEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain  
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesGeorgia 
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSouthwestern U.S.A.United StatesArizona 
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSouthwestern U.S.A.United StatesCalifornia 
Native
Southern America
  • BRAZIL: Brazil [Minas Gerais, Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo]
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina [Buenos Aires, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Misiones, Santa Fe], Paraguay [Alto Parana, Guaira, Itapua], Uruguay
Cultivated

  • REGION:
Southern America
  • SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina
Naturalized
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Portugal [Azores, Madeira Islands]
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Lesotho, South Africa [KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng, North West]
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia [Austr. Capital Terr., New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia]
  • NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand
Europe
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain, France, Portugal
Northern America
  • SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Georgia]
  • SOUTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Arizona, California]
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Environmentalornamental Encke, F. et al. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage. 1984
Medicinesfolklore Hanelt, P., ed. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6. 2001
Weedpotential seed contaminant Henderson, L. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12. 2001
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://apg.pir.sa.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=3841. Accessed 27 April 2026.


GRIN-Global project