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A vigorous common vine, which can grow very large (to 10s of metres long) with thick stems.
It is found along almost the entire east coast of NSW, from south of Townsville, right through the NSW coast and up into the Blue Mountains, to eastern Victoria.
It grows in warmer rainforest but also found in littoral rainforest near beaches as well as wet sclerophyll forest very commonly as well as dry-moist sclerophyll woodlands, on a variety of soils.
Some plants can grow very long through the tree canopy to 100 metres long with basal stems as thick as a human arm or thicker.
Cissus can have simple or compound leaves. In this species, leaves are compound with 5 leaflets (3 on juvenile plants) in a palmate (hand-like) arrangement, alternating up the stems, with each leaflet 15 cm long and to 5 cm wide. The stems have leaf-opposed tendrils (modified leaves opposite each leaf) which enable the plant to climb; a typical feature of species in this grape family. New growth is rusty-hairy with leaflets appearing red.
Flowers occur mostly in spring–summer and are in large branched clusters (panicles), up to 20 cm long x 10 cm wide, appearing at stem ends and opposite the leaves with flowers about 0.5 cm across, deep yellow in colour.
Being in the grape family, the fruit is a berry, blue/purple to blackish in colour, often with a greyish bloom, globular, about 10 to 15 mm in diameter.
This plant can be easily cultivated in the right conditions. It is suited to moist shady gardens with some room to move, as it can grow quite vigorously. It could be used to cover an undesirable wall or grown along a balcony railing. Caution is advised regarding planting as it can be very vigorous. Perhaps consider vines that grow to lesser dimensions.
It can be grown as an indoor plant in a pot with good results, provided it is given some support.
This plant provides abundant food and shelter for birds and small animals. The stunning berries may be eaten raw and provide a delicious watery snack but do leave an acrid aftertaste that can be slightly irritating.
It can handle full sun but will do better in some shade.
Can be propagated from seed as well as cuttings.
This species does grow in fire prone environments and likely regenerates from seed and the vigorous root system.
The fruit was part of the diet of First Nations Peoples. Strong loops of the vine were used to aid climbing trees to collect honey from native bees nests. Drinking water was obtained by cutting the stems and letting them hang.
Cissus is a genus of about 350 species – inhabiting mainly the tropical zone worldwide. Australia has 14 species, 7 of which are endemic, occurring in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Northern Territory. NSW currently has 4 species.
Cissus – is derived from the Greek word kissos (κισσος), meaning “ivy”
hypoglauca – from the Greek; hypo (υπο) meaning “below”, “under” or “sub”, and glauca, Latin for “blue” indicating that the undersides of the leaves are almost “blue”. It was initially described in 1854 by American botanist Asa Gray (1810 – 1888) who is considered the foremost American botanist of the 19th century.
This species in not considered to be at risk of extinction in the wild.
NSW Flora Online (PlantNET) – Cissus hypoglauca profile page
https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Cissus~hypoglauca
Gardening with Angus – Cissus hypoglauca profile page
https://www.gardeningwithangus.com.au/cissus-hypoglauca-native-grape/
Wrigley, J.W. & Fagg, M.I. (2001). Australian Native Plants – Propagation, cultivation and use in landscaping. 4th edition. New Holland Publishers, Pty. Ltd. Australia.