A trailing or climbing perennial vine that sprouts annually from rootstock.
Most vegetative parts are covered in bristly hairs or, sometimes, long soft hairs. Stems are ribbed, up to 3 m long and 1.6 mm diameter. Simple tendrils up to 15 cm long are present.
Leaves show considerable variation over the species’ range. They can be ovate (length 1–3 times the breadth, broadest below the middle) or broadly lanceolate (lance-shaped,broadest below the middle and tapering to the tip) in outline, sometimes hastate (spear-shaped), 24–75 mm long and 18–70 mm wide. Leaf blades can be unlobed, shallowly 3-lobed or, rarely, shallowly 5-lobed. Leaf bases are heart shaped. Leaf tips are blunt, broadly rounded or pointed.
Separate male and female flowers occur on the same plant. Male flowers occur in crowded bundles of 3–15. Female flowers occur singularly or in pairs, rarely in groups of 3 or 4.
Fruit are spherical, 8–18 mm diameter. Immature fruit are pale green with darker longitudinal markings. Mature fruit are red and sparsely covered in long soft hair. Fruits contain 9–25 buff coloured seeds, approximately 4 mm long and 2–3 mm wide. Seeds are warty with thickened margins, which help distinguish C. althaeoides from other Australian Cucumis species.
For a full species description see Telford et al. (2011).
Distribution
Occurs in Timor, southern New Guinea and northern Australia from the Kimberley region in Western Australia through the Northern Territory and Queensland to northern New South Wales.
In NSW, known from three locations in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, approximately 40 km east of Walcha on the New England Tablelands. The NSW population is disjunct, with the closest known population occurring over 400 km away in south east Queensland.
The known NSW population is small, consisting of less than 50 plants.
Habitat and ecology
- Sprouts annually from rootstock.
- Flowers and fruits from April to August.
- In NSW, found along freshwater rivers and streams.
- The NSW plants grow in gravel beds in open areas beneath river oaks as well as adjacent areas in full sun and no river oaks.
Regional distribution and habitat
Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.
A Saving Our Species conservation project is currently being developed for this species and will be available soon. For information on how you can contribute to this species' recovery, see the Activities to assist this species section below.