Cardiospermum microcarpum Kunth

Global description

Cardiospermum microcarpum is a climbing vine, slender, woody at the base and then herbaceous. The stem is thin, cylindrical, fluted, with long internodes. It can reach up to 5 m long. The triangular leaves are generally arranged alternately along the stem. Carried by a long petiole, they are composed of 3 leaflets, which in turn consist of 3 other small leaflets with deeply cut edge. The flowers are arranged in groups of 3 at the end of a long stalk inserted at the base of a leaf. They are small and white in color. At the base of the group of flowers, there are 2 small coiled tendrils. The fruits are obovoid depressed, capsules with 3 more or less winged sides and angles, green  purple in color, of 1 cm long and 0.8 cm wide.
 
Cotyledons
 
The cotyledons are sessile, fleshy, elliptic to lanceolate, rounded at the top, 8 to 10 mm long and 3 mm wide. Quickly deciduous
 
First leaves
 
The first leaves are opposite, then becoming alternate, stalked, composed trifoliate. The lateral leaflets are sessile tridentate on the top, the terminal leaflets are tri-lobed and finely serrated at the top of each lobe. The faces are glabrous.
 
General habit
 
Herbaceous lianescent plant, more or less branched, glabrous, 2 to 5 m long.

Underground system
 
The plant has a taproot system
 
Stem
 
The stem is thin, cylindrically fluted to quadrangular, solid, with long internodes. It is glabrous to finely pubescent, green to purple on the side exposed to the sun.
 
Leaf
 
The leaves are alternate, long-stalked (4 cm), consisting of 3 stalked leaflets, which are trifoliate. The leaf blade is generally triangular in shape, 4 to 8 cm long and wide. Each Leaflets are oval, acutely elongated at the top, with rounded base. The margin is more or less deeply lobed or serrated. The upper side is finely pubescent, the underside almost glabrous. Glaucous green in color, with the underside lighter.
 
Inflorescence
 
The inflorescence consists of flowers grouped in corymb at the top of a slender stem of 5 to 10 cm, inserted in the leaf axil. Each corymb is subtended by two filiform bracts, transformed into tendrils. The tendrils, radius and pedicels are subtended by very small bracteoles 1 mm long.
 
Flower
 
The flowers are reduced to 4 mm in diameter, held by a short pedicel (4 mm) on top of a radius of corymb, 2 cm long. There may be male or female flowers and hermaphrodite flowers, which can be on different plants or on a single individual. Calyx has 4 free oblong sepals; the 2 externals are shorter, pubescent. Corolla with 4 white petals, 2 to 4 mm long, with very small woolly flakes and a small scale at the bottom. 8 stamens, with unequal hairy filaments, red anthers. Ovary superior, trilocular containing one ovule per loculus. Topped with a short trifid style.
 
Fruit
 
The fruit is a membraneous capsule, obovoid depressed, trigonal, clearly triwinged, dehiscent, finely pubescent, light green to light brown when ripe, full of air, 1 to 1.5 cm long and 2 cm wide. At maturity, the walls are torn.
 
Seed
 
The seeds are hard, globose, dark blue in color, of 3 to 4 mm in diameter and with large, heart shaped hilum.
 

Worldwide distribution

Cardiospermum microcarpum occurs in Central and South America, tropical Africa (mostly East and Southern Africa), Indian Ocean islands, India, South East Asia and Australia (Queensland).

https://www.gbif.org/species/3189937