Sicyos australis

Short-lived climbing or trailing herb with glabrescent or slightly hispid stems to several metres long. Leaves simple, ovate, cordate at base; lamina 4–7 cm long, 5–8 cm wide, 3–5-lobed to c. midway (rarely more deeply lobed), sparsely bristly on both surfaces, bristles denser along veins, margins toothed; petiole 1–10 cm long, ribbed with occasional longitudinal rows of retrorse hairs; tendrils 2–5-branched. Male inflorescence 10–20-flowered; peduncle 2.5–9 cm long; pedicels 3–5 mm long, glandular hairy; perianth c. 8 mm diam., greenish-white. Female inflorescences in 6–8-flowered heads, arising from base of peduncle of male inflorescence; peduncle 5–15 mm long; ovary with soft barbed spines and glandular hairs; perianth c. 3 mm diam., cream. Fruit ovoid or ellipsoid, 7–12 mm long, 4–7 mm diam., green with fine retrorsely barbed spines, clustered in a star-shaped head on a peduncle 2–3 cm long; seeds 5–7 mm long, ovate. Flowers Dec.–May.