Wearing your heart on a seed
Stopping to smell the flowers
Arlene Marturano marturanoa@ yahoo.com

One vine will wrap its tendrils around your heart and won't let go. The fast growing 10- foot- tall annual balloon vine, Cardiospermum halicacabum, uses tendrils to tightly wrap around any point of contact like a fence or trellis.

The green tri- part foliage is complemented by petite white flowers. The flowers give way to showy, papery- green inflated seed pods resembling balloons or lanterns. When the balloons are popped, each contains three black seeds with a white heart embossed on it.

The balloon vine is a member of the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. Many soapberry family members are toxic. However, the oils of some of the soapberry fruits are extracted for use in soaps and crémes. Cardiospermum is an active ingredient in lotions for dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis.

The unique ornamental pods are only one dramatic feature of the balloon vine. The vine attracts a group of particular butterflies including the petite gossamer winged blues, which seek the nectar, and hairstreaks.

The common banner of central America, silverbanded hairstreak, grey hairstreak and red- lined scrub hairstreak caterpillars lay their eggs on the underside of balloon vine leaves.

The petite vine is used to boost the population of an endangered butterfly in southern Florida, the Miami blue. Since 2002, scientists have been conducting a captive propagation program with the host plant, the balloon vine.

Visit www.selectseeds. com.