Arrowhead Vine Traditional Cache

The Arrowhead Vine cache needed to be moved. You'll pass the Arrowheads, not the cache, near the turn of Brookwood Dr.: N 26° 55.103 W 082° 19.024.

Arrowhead Vine is a problematic, invasive plant that has escaped from gardens. It's not a Florida native. Please BYOP and check for cache info and directions at the bottom of the page.

Arrowhead vine

Syngonium podophyllum is a species of aroid, and commonly cultivated as a houseplant. The species is native to a wide region of Latin America from Mexico to Bolivia, and naturalized in the West Indies, Florida, Texas, Hawaii,and other places.

Syngonium podophyllum is the most commonly cultivated species in the genus Syngonium, and is often referred to simply as syngonium. It was originall)y confused with the similar-looking African genus Nephthysis , and this is still used as a common name for the plant. It was given its own genus in 1879. Other common names include:

    •    Arrowhead plant

    •    Arrowhead vine

    •    Arrowhead philodendron

    •    Goosefoot

    •    African evergreen

    •    American evergreen

There are several variegated cultivars, the main differences being in the position and extent of the cream or white markings. Some leaves are almost entirely white, pink or yellow. All parts of the plant are poisonous and cause severe mouth pain if eaten. It is not unusual to find these growing in Sub-tropical Florida landscapes, where homeowners and yard workers need to

be aware of the severe skin burning sensations caused by the plants sap containing oxalic acid and the eye damage potential from raphides.

(Raphides are needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate).

Wildland Weeds: Arrowhead Vine, Syngonium podophyllum.

Arrowhead vine is listed as a Category I invasive species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council . By definition, exotic plants on this list alter native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or ecological functions, or hybridizing with natives.

There are no native members of the genus Syngonium in Florida, which rules out hybridization as an impact, yet it is easy to see the effect the plant has upon native communities.

Arrowhead vine is a strong climber, easily reaching the tops of our native trees. The stems by which it climbs are thick and fleshy giving them a weight much heavier than most native vines, thus potentially making trees top heavy and more susceptible to toppling in a strong wind. Recent work also has shown that arrowhead vine poses a threat to several endangered species of native ferns in Florida.

Arrowhead vine is currently most common in the southern third of peninsular Florida.

Arrowhead vine is invasive and not recommended for use anywhere in the state of Florida.

For those interested in monitoring and eradicating the plant, arrowhead vine is quite easy to identify. Seedlings of the plant are quite common and have one to several simple, sagittate (arrowhead-shaped) leaves, within which there is high variation of coloration, many seedlings showing different levels of a white-green variegation.

Older plants have compound leaves which look different from those of the seedlings. They have 15–24 inch (15–60 cm) long petioles (leaf branches) and three to twelve leaflets of varying size, the larger ones towards the center. Leaflets are generally dark green above and pale green below and leaves and stem contain a milky sap.

Arrowhead vine has a typical araceous spadix and spathe type inflorescence, usually occurring in clusters of five to eight after the plant has matured and climbed high into the tree canopy.

As with many plants in the horticultural trade, arrowheadvine goes by numerous common names including American evergreen, fivefingers, and nephthitis. Commonly available cultivars include “white butterfly” and “pink allusion”

What Can You Do?

If you have arrowhead vine growing on your land, it should be removed to keep it from spreading to natural areas. Hand pulling is possible but sprouts break easily and will re-sprout, so care must be taken so that they arecompletely removed. Plants which are discarded must be disposed of properly, ideally in sealed plastic garbage bags prior to transfer to an approved landfill. Some people keep arrowhead vine as a house plant, which poses little environmental threat. However, if house plants are trimmed or discarded, plants and plant parts must be properly disposed of in plastic bags. Note that gloves should be worn when removing arrowhead vine, as sap can be irritating to sensitive individuals.

Herbicides alone or in combination with hand pulling can be used to control arrowhead vine. 

The cache is a tied in, camoed, "micro" pill bottle, the child safe kind that you have to push hard to open and close. Please make sure it's closed tightly when you're done signing the rolled log, and putting the rubber band back on, and returning it into the plastic bag. Then check that you have sealed the bag, please. Don't forget to BYOP!

There are three options for parking.

1. Near the plant coords: Placida Rd to Mississippi that continues as Brookwood.

FYI: Just got this in comment from Tonkavet&Lovebug: "Parked at the Brookwood parking coords. A man approached me as I was leaving and said it was illegal to park where I was on the grass. I said there was nothing saying no parking. But he claims I could be towed and fined."

2. Short walk (5-7 min o/w) from Ann Dever park off Sun Casa, second park entrance from S. MacCall. N 26 55.189 W 82 18.953.

3. Long, nice, walk: Park at the Oyster Creek Preserve entrance, off Placida Rd, across from Cedar Point park.