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Kangaroo Vine

Apocissus antarctica, Vitaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Kangaroo Vine (Apocissus antarctica), the whole plant.
Grace789, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Sources file this plant under other names: Cissus antarctica, Cissus antarctica AGM. Citations below point at the name its source uses.

The sources disagree about light for this plant. Both readings are shown in the table below. This is the norm in houseplant advice rather than the exception.

Light

The sources disagree. These do not describe the same conditions: Clemson Extension says "High light" and RHS says "Partial shade". Both are shown; this site does not pick between them.

High light 150 fc
Clemson Extension, filed as Cissus antarctica** · read 13 September 2026
Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Kangaroo vine needs little to moderate water; let the soil dry before watering again.
NC State Extension, filed as Cissus antarctica · read 13 September 2026
During growth, water generously and give a balanced liquid feed monthly; give little water in winter.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Place in diffused sun to part shade, and feed.
NC State Extension, filed as Cissus antarctica · read 13 September 2026
During growth water generously and give a balanced liquid feed each month; in winter water sparingly.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Repotting
Move to a larger pot every 2-3 years; top dress in spring.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Stem cuttings
NC State Extension, filed as Cissus antarctica · read 13 September 2026
Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Indoors it can reach a spread of 7 to 10 feet, though pruning easily keeps it in the shape you want.
NC State Extension, filed as Cissus antarctica · read 13 September 2026
Follow pruning group 11; to make young plants bushier, pinch them out.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by mealybugs, glasshouse whitefly and glasshouse red spider mite. Diseases: usually none.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Close view of Kangaroo Vine (Apocissus antarctica) foliage.
Close upMargaret Donald from Sydney, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Apocissus antarctica, formerly known as Cissus antarctica and commonly known as kangaroo vine or water vine, is a species of plant in the grape family Vitaceae. It is a climbing plant, native to and common on the east coast of Australia, often grown as a houseplant. It was first described in 1803.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
E. Australia
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
India, Eastern Australia
NC State Extension, filed as Cissus antarctica · read 13 September 2026
Australasia
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
subtropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
climbing shrub
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Ground Cover, Vine; habit horizontal, spreading
NC State Extension, filed as Cissus antarctica · read 13 September 2026
Climbing (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 84–120 in
NC State Extension, filed as Cissus antarctica · read 13 September 2026
Height 1.5-2.5 metres; spread 1-1.5 metres after 2–5 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers gold/yellow, green
NC State Extension, filed as Cissus antarctica · read 13 September 2026

More of the Vitaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.