Balloon Vine, Heart Vine, Heart Seed

Cardiospermum halicacabum: Edible Leaves

Balloon vine, heart seed, heart vine, Cardiospermum halicacabum

Photo by Rob’s Plants

For a tropical plant, the Balloon Vine can take cold weather, growing from west Texas north to Montana, Florida north to Massachusetts and most points in between. In fact, in Texas, Alabama, South Carolina and Arkansas it is a noxious and invasive weed… all the more to eat though few know it is edible. It’s not a plant found in most foraging books.

Here in Florida if you see a vine covering other plants it will usually be the Bitter Gourd or the Balloon Vine. The latter’s fruit is quite eye-catching and distinctive, looking like little balloons, albeit with seams. There are three edibles, by the way. The Cardiospermum halicacabum, C. microcarpum and C. corindum.  The C. microcarpum is found in Florida, Puerto Rico and Washington DC. The C. corindum is found in Florida, Texas, Arizona and Puerto Rico.

While not naturalized on the west coast there are several reports it grows well there, from lower California to Washington State. It also grows in Central America, South America, (cultivated in Brazil) Hawaii, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Polynesia, India, Sri Lanka, Africa, Malta, Europe, window boxes in Brooklyn et cetera. In cooler areas it is an annual, in warmer, a perennial.

Balloon vine, heart seed, heart vine, Cardiospermum halicacabum

© Photos by Central Texas Plants

As mentioned, the Balloon Vine is found all around the world and is used for food and medicine. It is also popular with the butterflies , locally the Amethyst Hairstreak, the Silver-Banded Hairstreak, and Miami Blue. Almost all of the fruit on the Balloon Vine will have frass inside from where the caterpillars dined. Fortunately we eat the young leaves and shoots.

C. halicacabum is a problem plant for soybean seed growers because the  seed size and shape are similar. Because of C. halicacabum can form thick mats, it’s a problem in Southern United States where it can smother and kill native vegetation. Aboriginal people used Balloon Vine in the treatment of rheumatism, nervous diseases, stiffness of the limbs and snakebite. Leaves were crushed and made into a tea for itchy skin. Salted leaves are used as a poultice on swellings. Young leaves can be cooked as vegetables. The leaf juice has been used as a treatment for earache.

Balloon vine, heart seed, heart vine, Cardiospermum halicacabum

© Photos by Central Texas Plants

What Cardiospermum (kar-dee-oh-SPER-mum) means is not in any dispute, it is “heart seed” referring to the tiny image of a heart on the seed. Halicacabum (hal-ee-KAY-ka-bum) is not so clear. In Greek it means “salt barrel” and goes back to perhaps to Xalo (ha-LOW) with means to spoil or to break. Such barrels were short and squat, and the Greeks called some plant by the same name. The Romans stole the plant name from the Greek but thought it kind of looked like a bladder so they used it with a plant that had inflated fruits.   Microcarpum (mye-crow-KARP-um, though in Greek it would be mee-krow-KARP-um)  means small seed and corindum can mean “heart of India” or more likely “heart of Indian Ivory.”  In the Soapberry family, the Balloon Vine is also called “Love In A Puff.”

Green Deane’s “Itemized” Plant Profile

IDENTIFICATION:

C. halicacabum: A woody, perennial vine native to Tropical America. They are fast growing to 10 feet (3 m) with twice 3-parted leaves that will reach 4 inches (10 cm) long. The plants climb with tendrils and need some form of support. They are used as annuals in USDA zones 5-8 and are perennial in zones 9-11. The small white flowers bloom from summer through the fall, flowers are not very showy. The fruit from which the plant gets its common name is a brown, thin-shelled, inflated angled capsule up to 1 1/8 inch (3 cm) in diameter containing 3 black seeds each, with a white heart-shaped scar.

TIME OF YEAR:

All year in warmer climates, seasonal in cooler climates

ENVIRONMENT:

Waste places and cultivated ground

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

Young leaves and shoots cooked.

{ 16 comments… add one }
  • Deepthi June 21, 2013, 1:51 pm

    It is possible to get the balloon vine seeds. Can this be shipped to California?

    Reply
    • Andrew June 25, 2019, 2:06 pm

      I would not bring them there, that is an ecological disaster waiting to happen. Balloon vines are invasive species that you shouldn’t put anywhere they aren’t native to.

      Reply
  • Viji Shanmugam July 25, 2013, 7:15 pm

    Can you please ship me some seeds.

    Reply
  • Thara Srikanth August 4, 2013, 3:10 pm

    Greetings,
    Is there anyway I might be able to buy a plant or seeds of these plants to grow in NJ. If so should I plant this outside or inside in a pot.
    Thanks,
    Thara

    Reply
  • Kathy Delisio July 9, 2014, 5:12 pm

    Hello. Do you sell the plant Cardiospermum Halicacabum? I have extreme itching and stinging on my back and have read where using the leaves of this plant will help relieve this. If you don’t sell the actual plant, do you sell the seeds and how long does it take for the plant to grow so I could use the leaves for my back? I have tried everything and this is my last resource!
    Thanks and God bless! Kathy Delisio, Mentor, OHio. ps I have looked online to see if anyone here in Northeast Ohio has the plant but can’t find anything!

    Reply
    • megan steinert June 26, 2015, 5:49 pm

      If u r in seattle, wa. Or somewhere close by…sky nursery has starts for sale for 4 bucks

      Reply
  • Isabel October 3, 2014, 9:03 am

    Hello,
    Would it be possible for me to buy a plant or seeds of these plants to grow in NJ. Also should this plant be brought indoors during cold winder months?

    Thanks,
    Isabel

    Reply
  • Vikas February 7, 2015, 10:23 pm

    Dear sir, I want to buy some seeds of balloon vine. Please give me some details regarding price and delivary (courier)

    Reply
  • teena raheja May 19, 2015, 6:08 am

    dear sir i want to buy baloon vine seeds i am from delhi.from where i can buy heart picture seeds(baloon vine).please tell me if not available in delhi then how can i buy from you.

    Reply
    • Becci Adams September 4, 2021, 11:17 pm

      Still looking for balloon vine seeds ?

      Reply
  • Donna July 13, 2015, 7:58 am

    You can order seeds from onalee.com she has these in stock

    Reply
  • sherri July 18, 2015, 3:13 am

    can you buy the balloon vine in bulk herb form?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Jan Barrows September 24, 2022, 6:59 pm

      I read that you can buy the plant at walmart

      Reply
  • Zach Geerson February 28, 2020, 10:04 pm

    I’ve read in other articles that the Balloon Vine can be emetic and diuretic. Is this true only if you eat older plants or from other parts of the plant besides the young leaves?

    Reply
    • Kojo February 21, 2021, 11:10 am

      I can supply you,More if you like ?

      Reply
  • Becci Adams September 4, 2021, 11:19 pm

    These grow in my yard and surrounding immediate area. Pretty cool looking little balloons.

    Reply

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