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• Physical Description
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Taxonomy

Notes:

Publishing author: Bunge Publication: Enum. Pl. Chin. Bor. 58. 1833 [Mar 1833]

A tentatively accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Physical Description

Family Aristolochiaceae:

Herbs, shrubs, rarely lianas, subshrubs, or trees; root, stems, and leaves with oil cells. Leaves alternate; stipules absent; petiole usually present and well defined; leaf blade simple, usually pinnately veined, sometimes palmately 3-5-veined, margin usually entire, rarely 3-5-lobed. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, racemes, cymes, or corymbs, or flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic or actinomorphic. Perianth usually with 1 petaloid whorl (in Saruma with 2 whorls: outer one sepaloid, inner one petaloid), mostly connate into distinct tube, cylindric to campanulate or subglobose; limb rotate, urceolate, cylindric, or ligulate, 1-3-lobed; lobes valvate. Stamens 6-12 (in China), in 1 or 2 series; filaments adnate to ovary (in Asarum) or style column (in Thottea) with anthers free, or filaments and anthers fully adnate to style column to form gynostemium (in Aristolochia) ; anthers 2-loculed, dehiscence longitudinal. Ovary inferior to superior, 6-loculed (in Thottea 4-loculed) ; carpels connate only at base or fully fused; ovules numerous, anatropous, usually in 1 or 2 series; placentation parietal. Styles free or connate, column 3- or 6-lobed (in Thottea 5-20-lobed) . Fruit a fleshy or dry capsule, rarely siliquiform or follicular. Seeds many; testa somewhat hard or crustaceous; endosperm copious, fleshy; embryo minute.

About eight genera and 450 600 species: primarily in tropical and subtropical regions; four genera (one endemic) and 86 species (69 endemic) in China.^[1]

Genus Aristolochia:

Herbs or lianas, perennial. Stems erect, twining, or procumbent. Leaves alternate, 2-ranked (evident on young growth, becoming obscure with age in some species) ; true stipules absent; pseudostipules absent [present]; petiole sometimes very short. Leaf blade membranous to leathery. Inflorescences on new growth or on older stems, axillary, racemes or solitary flowers; bracts present. Flowers: calyx usually mixture of purple, brown, green, or red, bilaterally symmetric, tubular, usually bent or curved, 1- or 3-lobed, not fleshy, base with utricle (basal, inflated portion of calyx surrounding or containing gynostemium) ; tube narrowed, sometimes extended proximally as cylindric syrinx (tubular or ringlike structure at juncture of tube and utricle, projecting into utricle cavity) and distally as annulus (circular flange at juncture of tube and limb) on limb; corolla absent; stamens 5-6, adnate to styles and stigmas, forming gynostemium; ovary inferior, 3-, 5-, or 6-locular; styles 3, 5, or 6, connate in column. Capsule dry, dehiscent. Seeds flattened or rounded, sometimes winged. x = 6, 7, 8.

Species ca. 300: nearly worldwide.

Most European and tropical species of Aristolochia are believed to be pollinated by small flies attracted to the flowers by the fetid odors and purple-brown color. Flies enter the flower when the stigmas are receptive and are trapped until after the anthers dehisce (H. Solereder 1889, 1889b). No formal studies of pollination of the North American species have been reported.

Many species of Aristolochia have been used in the treatment of snakebite; the treatment may or may not be effective. All species contain aristolochic acid, which is variously reported as tumor-causing or tumor-inhibiting (J. A. Duke 1985).

The leaves of many species are eaten by pipe-vine swallowtail butterflies. The larvae eat leaves of these species and sequester aristolochic acid in their bodies, making them unpalatable to birds (W. H. Howe 1975).^[2]

Flowers: Flower Color: chartreuse, yellow-green

Distribution

Growth

Culture: Space 6-8' apart.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b. (map)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Aristolochia:

There are approximately 893 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: A. 'Guimaraes' (Dutchmans Pipe) · A. abbreviata · A. abyssinica · A. acontophylla · A. acuminata · A. acutifolia · A. aethiopica · A. albertiana · A. albida · A. allemanii · A. altissima · A. amara · A. amazonica · A. amesiana · A. anatolica · A. andahuaylensis · A. andina · A. anguicida (Harlequin Dutchman's Pipe) · A. angulata · A. angulisans · A. angulosa · A. angustifolia · A. angustifolia var. brevifolia · A. angustifolia var. longifolia · A. angustifolia var. viperina · A. antennifera · A. antihysterica · A. apoloensis · A. appendiculata · A. arborea · A. arborescens · A. arcuata · A. arenicola · A. argentea · A. argentina · A. argroneura · A. argyroneura · A. arkasana · A. asclepiadifolia · A. asperifolia · A. atlantica · A. atropurpurea · A. attica · A. aucherii · A. aurantiaca · A. auricularia · A. auricularis · A. auriculata · A. aurita · A. austrochinensis · A. austroszechuanica · A. austroyunnanensis · A. austroyunnensis · A. baenzigeri · A. baetica (Birthwort) · A. bahiensis · A. bainesii · A. balansae · A. balearica · A. bambusifolia · A. baracoensis · A. barbata · A. barbata benedicti · A. barbata subsp. benedicti · A. barbata subsp. dictyantha · A. barbouri · A. barbourii · A. baseri · A. batucensis · A. baueri · A. belizensis · A. bernieri · A. bianorii · A. bicolor · A. biflora · A. bilabiata (West Indian Dutchman's Pipe) · A. bilabiata subsp. maestrensis · A. billardierei · A. billardieri · A. bilobata (Twolobe Dutchman's Pipe) · A. birostris · A. blinii · A. bodamae · A. boliviensis · A. bonatii · A. bongoensis · A. bonplandi · A. boosii · A. bottae · A. brachyura · A. bracteata · A. bracteolata · A. bracteosa · A. braniciana · A. brasiliensis (Aristolochia) · A. brasiliensis Mart. & Zucc. var. macrophylla Duch. · A. brasiliensis var. galeata · A. brasiliensis var. macrophylla · A. brasiliensis var. parviflora · A. brevifolia

Bibliography

• Cheng Ching-yung, Yang Chun-shu & Hwang Shu-mei. 1988. Aristolochiaceae. In: Kiu Hua-shing & Ling Yeou-ruenn, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 24: 159245.
• Judd, Campbell, Kellog & Donoghue: Plant Systematics, a phylogenetic approach
• Judd, W.S., Campbell, C.S., Kellog, E.A. & Donoghue, M.J. (2002): Plant Systematics: a phylogenetic approach, Sinauer, Sunderland, Mass.
• Pfeifer, H. W. 1966. Revision of the North and Central American hexandrous species of Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae). Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 53: 1-114.
• Pfeifer, H. W. 1970. A Taxonomic Revision of the Pentandrous Species of Aristolochia. [Storrs.]

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Notes

Contributors:

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 12, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 3 providers.

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

• National Institute of Genetics, ROIS, Herbarium Specimens of Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo Pref., Japan
• US National Plant Germplasm System, United States National Plant Germplasm System Collection

Identifiers:

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15058912
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:92854-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 719415

Footnotes:

1. Liguo Fu, Nan Li & Robert R. Mill "Aristolochiaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 5 Page 246. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
2. Kerry Barringer "Aristolochia". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.