Bignoniaceae

Pandorea pandorana

WONGA VINE

Climber with stems twining, older stems ± longitudinally ridged, becoming woody, often climbing high up in the canopy; bark fawn to creamish. Buds and stems hairless, sometimes purplish; stipules absent.

Leaves pinnately compound, mostly opposite or rarely in whorls of 3; juvenile leaves 2–8 cm long and with 7–17 small bluntly toothed leaflets; adult leaves 8–16 cm long, rachis not much elongated between the pairs of leaflets, rachis jointed at junction with leaflets; petiole 1–4.5 cm long. Leaflets opposite, 3–11 on adult leaves; laminas ± ovate or obovate, 2.5–8 cm long, 1–3 cm wide, apex acuminate, base rounded to cuneate but not markedly asymmetric, margins usually entire, surfaces hairless; pinnately veined with 5–8 pairs, distinct on both surfaces, minor veins faint or obscure; lateral petiolules 1–2 mm long; terminal petiolule 5–10 mm long.

Inflorescences terminal or in upper axils, raceme-like thyrses, 5–15 cm long; flowers spring and summer. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, 5-merous; calyx shortly cupular, 3–5 mm long; corolla campanulate, white or cream, with purple, maroon or brownish blotches or stripes in throat, tube ± straight, 1.5–2.5 cm long, 5–10 mm diam., 5-lobed and 2-lipped, lobes spreading, 3–6 mm long; stamens 4, didynamous, included in corolla tube; ovary superior, 2-locular.

Fruit dry, a capsule, cylindrical to oblong, 4–6 cm long, shortly beaked; seeds numerous, circular, flat, winged, 1–2 cm wide.

Illustration of leaves & fruit

Habitat and Distribution:

In and on the margins of WTRf, CTRf, GRf, LRf, DRf and VTs, also widespread outside rainforest; north from Wilsons Promontory, Vic., to Torres Strait Islands, N Qld, and west to Narrabri, N.S.W., and Carnarvon Ranges (Ka Ka Mundi area), Qld; also New Guinea.

Notes:

Similar to Pandorea floribunda but in Pandorea pandorana the adult leaflets are narrower and the margins usually entire and the larger flowers are white or cream, with purple, maroon or brownish blotches or stripes in throat; usually flowers spring.

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