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balloon vine

American  

noun

  1. a tropical climbing plant, Cardiospermum halicacabum, of the soapberry family, bearing big, bladderlike pods and black seeds with a white, heart-shaped spot.

balloon vine British  

noun

  1. a tropical tendril-climbing sapindaceous plant, Cardiospermum halicacabum , cultivated for its ornamental balloon-like seed capsules

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of balloon vine

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Of the tender vines, the nasturtiums and ipomeas and morning-glories are the most common in the North, while the adlumia, balloon vine, passion vine, gourds, and others, are frequently used.

From Manual of Gardening (Second Edition) by Bailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.