Billardiera heterophylla

Western Australian Bluebell Creeper at Isaacs, ACT

Request use of media

Identification history

Billardiera heterophylla	2 Mar 2023	MichaelMulvaney
Billardiera fusiformis	2 Mar 2023	MichaelMulvaney
Billardiera sp.	1 Mar 2023	Mike

Identify this sighting

Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.

6 comments

MichaelMulvaney wrote:

2 Mar 2023

You should be able to pull this creeper out by hand Mike

Mike wrote:

2 Mar 2023

About 2-3m tall on steep slope. Might cut it one day if no-one else does.

MichaelMulvaney wrote:

2 Mar 2023

i suspect that this is another weed that has your name on it Mike

Mike wrote:

2 Mar 2023

This plant has previously been identified as B. heterophylla (Billardiera heterophylla (Western Australian Bluebell Creeper) and nearby sightings). Is fruit fusiform or just immature? Either way, it is a non-local species.

MichaelMulvaney wrote:

2 Mar 2023

Thanks Mike sorry I got things the wrong way round I thought all local sightings are now considered to be fusiformis when it was the other way round. Thanks for teh correction

Mike wrote:

2 Mar 2023

Comments on an earlier sighting indicate botanical confusion caused by horticultural misapplication of the name. Betty Wood said "The Weeds of Australia fact sheet gives good diagnostics." so I have looked at the distinction :
"Billardiera fusiformis can be distinguished from Billardiera heterophylla by the following differences:
Billardiera fusiformis generally has a climbing or twining habit (rarely shrubby) and its relatively narrow (i.e. linear to narrowly elliptic) adult leaves are entire and almost stalkless. Its flower sepals are all about the same size and its anthers are noticeably longer than their filaments. Its fruit are somewhat spindle-shaped (i.e. fusiform).
Billardiera heterophylla generally has a shrubby habit with some climbing stems and its relatively broad (i.e. elliptic to ovate) adult leaves are finely toothed and borne on short stalks (2-3 mm long). Its flower sepals are of different sizes and its anthers are about the same length as their filaments. Its fruit are cylindrical in shape.

I think the leaves meet the description of B. filiformis. Sepals appear about the same size. I will have to go back and see if there are unpollinated flowers to check anthers and filaments.
Maybe I should just cut it out to remove any argument :-)

Please Login or Register to comment.