Large-leaved wonga vine facts for kids

The Pandorea baileyana, also known as the large-leaved wonga vine, is a type of woody climbing vine. It belongs to the plant family Bignoniaceae. This special vine grows in the warm, wet rainforests of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, Australia.

Discovering the Large-Leaved Wonga Vine

This amazing plant can be found growing along the forest floor. It also climbs up tall trees using special little helpers called tendrils. Its leaves are always green, meaning they don't fall off in autumn. These leaves can grow quite long, from 13 to 30 centimeters!

Flowers and Fruit of the Wonga Vine

In the late spring, the large-leaved wonga vine shows off its beautiful flowers. These flowers are a creamy color and are about 2 millimeters long. They grow in groups on the stems. These flowers are very important because they help the plant with pollination. This is how plants make new seeds.

After the flowers, the vine grows yellow fruits. These fruits are shaped like an oval and are about 4 to 7 centimeters long. Inside each fruit, there are many seeds. The seeds are flat and round, about 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide. They even have little wings, which help them fly away in the wind!

Where to Find This Special Plant

You won't often find the large-leaved wonga vine growing outside of its natural home. It prefers the specific conditions of the Australian rainforests. However, you can see one example of this plant at the ANBG in Canberra. This is a great place to learn more about Australia's unique plants.