Aristolochia
Encyclopedia
Aristolochia is a large plant
genus
with over 500 species
. Collectively known as birthworts, pipevines or Dutchman's pipe
s, they are the namesake of the family
(Aristolochiaceae
). They are widespread and occur in the most diverse climates. Some species, like A. utriformis
and A. westlandii
, are threatened with extinction.
Isotrema is usually included here, but might be a valid genus. If so, it contains those species with a three-lobed calyx
.
s and herbaceous perennial
s. The smooth stem
is erect or somewhat twining. The simple leaves
are alternate and cordate, membranous, growing on leaf stalks. There are no stipule
s.
The flower
s grow in the leaf axils. They are inflated and globose at the base, continuing as a long perianth
tube, ending in a tongue-shaped, brightly colored lobe. There is no corolla. The calyx
is one to three whorled, and three to six toothed. The sepal
s are united (gamosepalous). There are six to 40 stamen
s in one whorl. They are united with the style, forming a gynostemium. The ovary
is inferior and is four to six locular.
These flowers have a specialized pollination mechanism. The plants are aromatic and their strong scent attracts insects. The inner part of the perianth tube is covered with hairs, acting as a fly-trap. These hairs then wither to release the fly, covered with pollen.
The fruit
is dehiscent capsule
with many endospermic seeds.
The common names "Dutchman's Pipe" and "Pipevine" (e.g. Common Pipevine, A. durior) are an allusion to old-fashioned meerschaum
pipes at one time common in the Netherlands
and Northern Germany
. "Birthwort" (e.g. European Birthwort, A. clematitis
) refers to these species' flower shape, resembling a birth canal. Some reference books state that the scientific name Aristolochia was developed from Ancient Greek
aristos (άριστος) "best" + locheia (λοχεία), "childbirth" or "childbed".
, Greeks and Romans
, and on to until the Early Modern era; it also plays a minor role in traditional Chinese medicine
. Due to its resemblance to the uterus, the doctrine of signatures
held that "birthwort" was useful in childbirth. A preparation was given to women in labor to expel the placenta
, as noted by the herbalist Dioscurides in the first century AD. Despite its presence in ancient medicine, Aristolochia is known to contain the lethal toxin aristolochic acid
.
Aristolochia has been shown to be both a potent carcinogen and kidney toxin. Herbal compounds containing Aristolochia are classified as a Group 1 carcinogen
by the International Agency for Research on Cancer
. Epidemiological and laboratory studies have identified Aristolochia to be a dangerous kidney toxin; Aristolochia has been shown associated with more than 100 cases of kidney failure. Furthermore, it appears as if contamination of grain
with European Birthwort (A. clematitis) is a cause of Balkan nephropathy
, a severe renal disease occurring in parts of southeast Europe
.
In July 1999, two cases of nephropathy
associated with the use of Chinese botanical preparations were reported in the United Kingdom. These preparations were shown to contain aristolochic acid. Biopsy samples showed extensive loss of cortical tubules with interstitial fibrosis
. In 1993, a series of end-stage renal disease cases had been reported from Belgium
associated with a weight loss treatment, where Stephania tetrandra
in a herbal preparation was suspected of being substituted with Aristolochia fangchi. More than 105 patients were identified with nephropathy following the ingestion of this preparation from the same clinic from 1990-1992. Many required renal transplantation or dialysis
. Subsequent follow up of these patients has shown they are at an increased risk of urological
cancer. Note that in TCM neither plant is used for prolonged weight loss treatments.
Despite the toxic properties of aristolochic acid, naturopaths claim that a decoction of birthwort stimulates the production and increases the activity of leukocytes (white blood cells), or that pipevines contain a disinfectant which assists in wound healing
. Also, Aristolochia bracteolata is colloquially known as "Worm Killer" due to supposed antihelminthic activity.
Aristolochia has also been used as a reptile repellent. A. serpentaria
(Virginia Snakeroot) is thus named because the root was used to treat snakebite, as "so offensive to these reptiles, that they not only avoid the places where it grows, but even flee from the traveler who carries a piece of it in his hand". A. pfeiferi, A. rugosa and A. trilobata are also used in folk medicine to cure snakebites. Aristolochic acid does indeed appear to bind and deactivate the Phospholipase A2
of certain snake venom
s.
Aristolochia didyma
, or "yawar panga" by its local name, is traditionally used in South America as a powerful purgative. It is sometimes taken to purify the body a few days before an Ayahuasca
session.
s., notably the hardy A. durior of eastern North America, which was one of John Bartram
's many introductions to British gardens; in 1761 Bartram sent seeds he had collected in the Ohio River Valley to Peter Collinson in London, and Collinson gave them to the nurseryman James Gordon at Mile End to raise. The vine was soon adopted for creating for arbors "a canopy impenetrable to the rays of the sun, or moderate rain," as Dr John Sims noted in The Botanical Magazine, 1801.
, namely swallowtail butterflies. These become unpalatable to most predators by eating the plants. Lepidoptera feeding on pipevines include:
Choreutidae
Papilionidae
In Australia the invasive Aristolochia littoralis
is fatal to the caterpillars of Ornithoptera euphorion and O. richmondia and threatens to displace their proper host, A. tagala
.
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
with over 500 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Collectively known as birthworts, pipevines or Dutchman's pipe
Dutchman's Pipe
Dutchman's Pipe is a common name for some unrelated flowering plants, which have flowers, inflorescences or stems resembling a pipe:* Aristolochia species from the Aristolochiaceae...
s, they are the namesake of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Aristolochiaceae
Aristolochiaceae
The Aristolochiaceae, or the Birthwort family, are a family of flowering plants with 7 genera and about 400 species belonging to the order Piperales...
). They are widespread and occur in the most diverse climates. Some species, like A. utriformis
Aristolochia utriformis
Aristolochia utriformis is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is endemic to China. It is found in Forests at about 1900 meters in Yunnan Province. The plants are climbing herbs or shurbs that have pointed leaves with heart shaped bases. The yellow-green flowers are tube shaped...
and A. westlandii
Aristolochia westlandii
Aristolochia westlandii is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is found in China and Hong Kong. It is found in valley forests in Guangdong Province at an elevation of 300 to 800 meters. The leaves are long, narrow and pointed . The flowers are bent tubes from 10 to 15 cm long...
, are threatened with extinction.
Isotrema is usually included here, but might be a valid genus. If so, it contains those species with a three-lobed calyx
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
.
Description
Aristolochia is a genus of evergreen and deciduous woody vineVine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
s and herbaceous perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s. The smooth stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
is erect or somewhat twining. The simple leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are alternate and cordate, membranous, growing on leaf stalks. There are no stipule
Stipule
In botany, stipule is a term coined by Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk...
s.
The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s grow in the leaf axils. They are inflated and globose at the base, continuing as a long perianth
Perianth
The term perianth has two similar but separate meanings in botany:* In flowering plants, the perianth are the outer, sterile whorls of a flower...
tube, ending in a tongue-shaped, brightly colored lobe. There is no corolla. The calyx
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
is one to three whorled, and three to six toothed. The sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s are united (gamosepalous). There are six to 40 stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s in one whorl. They are united with the style, forming a gynostemium. The ovary
Ovary (plants)
In the flowering plants, an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. Specifically, it is the part of the pistil which holds the ovule and is located above or below or at the point of connection with the base of the petals and sepals...
is inferior and is four to six locular.
These flowers have a specialized pollination mechanism. The plants are aromatic and their strong scent attracts insects. The inner part of the perianth tube is covered with hairs, acting as a fly-trap. These hairs then wither to release the fly, covered with pollen.
The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is dehiscent capsule
Capsule (fruit)
In botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. A capsule is a structure composed of two or more carpels that in most cases is dehiscent, i.e. at maturity, it splits apart to release the seeds within. A few capsules are indehiscent, for example...
with many endospermic seeds.
The common names "Dutchman's Pipe" and "Pipevine" (e.g. Common Pipevine, A. durior) are an allusion to old-fashioned meerschaum
Meerschaum
Meerschaum , also sepiolite, is a soft white mineral sometimes found floating on the Black Sea, and rather suggestive of sea-foam, whence the German origin of the name, as well as the French name for the same substance, écume de mer.-Overview:...
pipes at one time common in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Northern Germany
Northern Germany
- Geography :The key terrain features of North Germany are the marshes along the coastline of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, and the geest and heaths inland. Also prominent are the low hills of the Baltic Uplands, the ground moraines, end moraines, sandur, glacial valleys, bogs, and Luch...
. "Birthwort" (e.g. European Birthwort, A. clematitis
Aristolochia clematitis
Aristolochia clematitis, Birthwort, is a twining herbaceous plant in the Aristolochiaceae family, which is native to Europe. The leaves are heart shaped and the flowers are pale yellow and tubular in form...
) refers to these species' flower shape, resembling a birth canal. Some reference books state that the scientific name Aristolochia was developed from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
aristos (άριστος) "best" + locheia (λοχεία), "childbirth" or "childbed".
Medicinal use and toxicity
The species A. clematitis was highly regarded as a medicinal plant since the ancient EgyptiansAncient Egyptian medicine
The medicine of the ancient Egyptians is some of the oldest documented. From the beginnings of the civilization in the until the Persian invasion of 525 BC, Egyptian medical practice went largely unchanged and was highly advanced for its time, including simple non-invasive surgery, setting of...
, Greeks and Romans
Medicine in ancient Rome
Medicine in ancient Rome combined various techniques using different tools and rituals. Ancient Roman medicine included a number of specializations such as internal medicine, ophthalmology and urology...
, and on to until the Early Modern era; it also plays a minor role in traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
. Due to its resemblance to the uterus, the doctrine of signatures
Doctrine of signatures
The doctrine of signatures is a philosophy shared by herbalists from the time of Dioscurides and Galen. This doctrine states that herbs that resemble various parts of the body can be used to treat ailments of that part of the body. Examples include the plants liverwort; snakeroot, an antidote for...
held that "birthwort" was useful in childbirth. A preparation was given to women in labor to expel the placenta
Placenta
The placenta is an organ that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall to allow nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply. "True" placentas are a defining characteristic of eutherian or "placental" mammals, but are also found in some snakes and...
, as noted by the herbalist Dioscurides in the first century AD. Despite its presence in ancient medicine, Aristolochia is known to contain the lethal toxin aristolochic acid
Aristolochic acid
Aristolochic acids are a family of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and nephrotoxic compounds commonly found in the Aristolochiaceae family of plants, including Aristolochia and Asarum, which are commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine. Aristolochic acid I is the most abundant of the aristolochic acids...
.
Aristolochia has been shown to be both a potent carcinogen and kidney toxin. Herbal compounds containing Aristolochia are classified as a Group 1 carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
by the International Agency for Research on Cancer
International Agency for Research on Cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation of the United Nations....
. Epidemiological and laboratory studies have identified Aristolochia to be a dangerous kidney toxin; Aristolochia has been shown associated with more than 100 cases of kidney failure. Furthermore, it appears as if contamination of grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
with European Birthwort (A. clematitis) is a cause of Balkan nephropathy
Balkan nephropathy
Danubian endemic familial nephropathy , also called Balkan endemic nephropathy, is a form of interstitial nephritis. It was first identified in the 1920s among several small, discrete communities along the Danube River and its major tributaries, in the modern countries of Croatia, Bosnia and...
, a severe renal disease occurring in parts of southeast Europe
Southeast Europe
Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe is a relatively recent political designation for the states of the Balkans. Writers such as Maria Todorova and Vesna Goldsworthy have suggested the use of the term Southeastern Europe to replace the word Balkans for the region, to minimize potential...
.
In July 1999, two cases of nephropathy
Nephropathy
Nephropathy refers to damage to or disease of the kidney. An older term for this is nephrosis.-Causes:Causes of nephropathy include administration of analgesics, xanthine oxidase deficiency, and long-term exposure to lead or its salts...
associated with the use of Chinese botanical preparations were reported in the United Kingdom. These preparations were shown to contain aristolochic acid. Biopsy samples showed extensive loss of cortical tubules with interstitial fibrosis
Fibrosis
Fibrosis is the formation of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ or tissue in a reparative or reactive process. This is as opposed to formation of fibrous tissue as a normal constituent of an organ or tissue...
. In 1993, a series of end-stage renal disease cases had been reported from Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
associated with a weight loss treatment, where Stephania tetrandra
Stephania tetrandra
Stephania tetrandra is a herbaceous perennial vine of the Menispermaceae family. It grows from a short, woody caudex, climbing to a height of around four meters. The leaves are arranged spirally on the stem, and are peltate, i.e. with the leaf petiole attached near the centre of the leaf...
in a herbal preparation was suspected of being substituted with Aristolochia fangchi. More than 105 patients were identified with nephropathy following the ingestion of this preparation from the same clinic from 1990-1992. Many required renal transplantation or dialysis
Dialysis
In medicine, dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure...
. Subsequent follow up of these patients has shown they are at an increased risk of urological
Urology
Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
cancer. Note that in TCM neither plant is used for prolonged weight loss treatments.
Despite the toxic properties of aristolochic acid, naturopaths claim that a decoction of birthwort stimulates the production and increases the activity of leukocytes (white blood cells), or that pipevines contain a disinfectant which assists in wound healing
Wound healing
Wound healing, or cicatrisation, is an intricate process in which the skin repairs itself after injury. In normal skin, the epidermis and dermis exists in a steady-state equilibrium, forming a protective barrier against the external environment...
. Also, Aristolochia bracteolata is colloquially known as "Worm Killer" due to supposed antihelminthic activity.
Aristolochia has also been used as a reptile repellent. A. serpentaria
Aristolochia serpentaria
Aristolochia serpentaria is a species of perennial flowering plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. The species is commonly known as Virginia snakeroot and is native to eastern North America, from Connecticut to southern Michigan and south to Texas and Florida.-Protection:Virginia snakeroot is...
(Virginia Snakeroot) is thus named because the root was used to treat snakebite, as "so offensive to these reptiles, that they not only avoid the places where it grows, but even flee from the traveler who carries a piece of it in his hand". A. pfeiferi, A. rugosa and A. trilobata are also used in folk medicine to cure snakebites. Aristolochic acid does indeed appear to bind and deactivate the Phospholipase A2
Phospholipase A2
Phospholipases A2 are enzymes that release fatty acids from the second carbon group of glycerol. This particular phospholipase specifically recognizes the sn-2 acyl bond of phospholipids and catalytically hydrolyzes the bond releasing arachidonic acid and lysophospholipids...
of certain snake venom
Snake venom
Snake venom is highly modified saliva that is produced by special glands of certain species of snakes. The glands which secrete the zootoxin are a modification of the parotid salivary gland of other vertebrates, and are usually situated on each side of the head below and behind the eye,...
s.
Aristolochia didyma
Aristolochia didyma
Aristolochia didyma, or Yawar Panga is a plant found in South America of the genus Aristolochia. It is a powerful purgative, sometimes used in traditional rites to purify the body a few days before an Ayahuasca session....
, or "yawar panga" by its local name, is traditionally used in South America as a powerful purgative. It is sometimes taken to purify the body a few days before an Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca is any of various psychoactive infusions or decoctions prepared from the Banisteriopsis spp. vine, usually mixed with the leaves of dimethyltryptamine-containing species of shrubs from the Psychotria genus...
session.
Garden history
Due to their spectacular flowers, several species are used as ornamental plantOrnamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
s., notably the hardy A. durior of eastern North America, which was one of John Bartram
John Bartram
*Hoffmann, Nancy E. and John C. Van Horne, eds., America’s Curious Botanist: A Tercentennial Reappraisal of John Bartram 1699-1777. Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 243. ....
's many introductions to British gardens; in 1761 Bartram sent seeds he had collected in the Ohio River Valley to Peter Collinson in London, and Collinson gave them to the nurseryman James Gordon at Mile End to raise. The vine was soon adopted for creating for arbors "a canopy impenetrable to the rays of the sun, or moderate rain," as Dr John Sims noted in The Botanical Magazine, 1801.
Swallowtail butterflies
Many species of Aristolochia are food for larvae of LepidopteraLepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
, namely swallowtail butterflies. These become unpalatable to most predators by eating the plants. Lepidoptera feeding on pipevines include:
Choreutidae
Choreutidae
Choreutidae, or "metalmark moths," are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order whose relationships have been long disputed. It was placed previously in the superfamily Yponomeutoidea in family Glyphipterigidae and in superfamily Sesioidea. It is now considered to represent its own superfamily...
- MillieriaMillieriaMillieria is a genus of moths in the Choreutidae family, containing only one species, Millieria dolosana, which is found from Morocco north to Germany, France and Poland, east to southern Russia and Israel....
leaf minerLeaf minerLeaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
Papilionidae
- False Apollo (Archon apollinus) – known from numerous pipevine species
- BhutanitisBhutanitisBhutanitis is a genus of swallowtail butterflies with four species. Two other taxa named as species of Bhutanitis have since been synonymised with B. thaidina . Another taxon, originally named as B...
- Bhutan Glory (B. lidderdalii) – known from A. griffithi, A. kaempferii, A. mandshuriensis and maybe others
- Chinese Three-tailed Swallowtail (B. thaidina) – known from A. moupinensis
- TroidiniTroidiniTroidini is the tribe of Aristolochia swallowtails that includes the genus Battus.It consists of some 135 species worldwide and 3 species that occur North America. Members of this tribe feed on poisonous pipevine plants...
- Great Windmill (Atrophaneura dasarada) – only known from A. griffithi
- Common Batwing (Atrophaneura varuna) – only known from A. kaempferi
- Troides plateniTroides plateniDr. Platens Birdwing is a birdwing butterfly endemic to Palawan, Balabac, Dumaran, and the Calamian Islands in the Philippines. It is named for Dr. Carl Constantin Platen.-Habitat and conservation:...
– only known from Indian Birthwort (A. tagala) - Cairns BirdwingCairns BirdwingThe Cairns Birdwing is a species of birdwing butterfly endemic to northeastern Australia, and is Australia's largest endemic butterfly species.-Description:...
(Ornithoptera euphorion) - Richmond Birdwing (O. richmondia)
- Rajah Brooke Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana) – only known from A. foveolata
- Pipevine SwallowtailPipevine swallowtailThe Pipevine Swallowtail is a swallowtail butterfly found in North and Central America. The butterflies are black with iridescent blue hind wings. They are found in many different habitats, but are most commonly found in forests...
(Battus philenor) – known on A. macrophylla, Virginia Snakeroot (A. serpentariaAristolochia serpentariaAristolochia serpentaria is a species of perennial flowering plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. The species is commonly known as Virginia snakeroot and is native to eastern North America, from Connecticut to southern Michigan and south to Texas and Florida.-Protection:Virginia snakeroot is...
) and others
In Australia the invasive Aristolochia littoralis
Aristolochia littoralis
Aristolochia littoralis is an evergreen deciduous vine belonging to the Aristolochiaceae family.-Etymology:...
is fatal to the caterpillars of Ornithoptera euphorion and O. richmondia and threatens to displace their proper host, A. tagala
Aristolochia tagala
Aristolochia tagala is commonly known as Indian birthwort and locally as Dutchman's pipe.-Distribution:It is widely distributed: the distribution is from the Himalaya to Sri Lanka through South East Asia and China, to Oceania...
.
Selected species
- Aristolochia acuminataAristolochia acuminataAristolochia acuminata, the Native Dutchman' Pipe or Indian Birthwort is a poisonous perennial vine that is endemic to Asia and Malesia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.-Description:...
Lam. - Aristolochia acutifolia
- Aristolochia allemanii
- Aristolochia anguicida Jacq. – Harlequin Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia arborea
- Aristolochia arcuata Mast.
- Aristolochia auricularia
- Aristolochia baeticaAristolochia baeticaAristolochia baetica, the Andalusian Dutchman's Pipe or Pipe Vine, is a poisonous perennial vine that occurs from Algeria to Spain and Portugal.-Description:...
- Aristolochia bilabiata L. – West Indian Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia billardieri
- Aristolochia bilobata – Two-lobed Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia bodamae
- Aristolochia bottae
- Aristolochia bracteolata Lam. – Worm Killer
- Aristolochia bridgesii – Chilean Yellow Fox's Ears
- Aristolochia burelae
- Aristolochia californicaAristolochia californicaAristolochia californica, the California pipevine or California Dutchman's-pipe is a perennial woody vine that is endemic to California.-Description:...
Torr. – California Pipevine, California Dutchman's Pipe - Aristolochia cauliflora Ule
- Aristolochia caudata
- Aristolochia chachapoyensis
- Aristolochia chapmaniana (= A. tonduzii)
- Aristolochia chilensis Bridges ex Lindl. – Chilean Fox's Ears
- Aristolochia clematitisAristolochia clematitisAristolochia clematitis, Birthwort, is a twining herbaceous plant in the Aristolochiaceae family, which is native to Europe. The leaves are heart shaped and the flowers are pale yellow and tubular in form...
L. – European Birthwort - Aristolochia colossifolia – Giant-leaved Aristolochia
- Aristolochia constricta
- Aristolochia cordiflora
- Aristolochia cordigera
- Aristolochia cornuta
- Aristolochia coryi I.M.Johnst – Cory's Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia cucurbitifoliaAristolochia cucurbitifoliaAristolochia cucurbitifolia is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is endemic to Taiwan.-References:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
HayataBunzo Hayatawas a Japanese botanist noted for his taxonomic work in Japan and Formosa . He was a professor at the Imperial University of Tokyo and third director of the Research Botanical Gardens.... - Aristolochia cucurbitoidesAristolochia cucurbitoidesAristolochia cucurbitoides is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is endemic to China.-References:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
C.F.Liang - Aristolochia cymbifera Mart.
- Aristolochia daemoninoxia
- Aristolochia dalyi
- Aristolochia delavayiAristolochia delavayiAristolochia delavayi is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is endemic to China.-References:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
Franch.Adrien René FranchetAdrien René Franchet was a French botanist, based at the Paris Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. He is noted for his extensive work describing the flora of China and Japan, based on the collections made by Armand David, Pierre Jean Marie Delavay, Paul Guillaume Farges and others.-References:... - Aristolochia deltantha
- Aristolochia deltoidea
- Aristolochia didymaAristolochia didymaAristolochia didyma, or Yawar Panga is a plant found in South America of the genus Aristolochia. It is a powerful purgative, sometimes used in traditional rites to purify the body a few days before an Ayahuasca session....
– Yawar PangaAristolochia didymaAristolochia didyma, or Yawar Panga is a plant found in South America of the genus Aristolochia. It is a powerful purgative, sometimes used in traditional rites to purify the body a few days before an Ayahuasca session.... - Aristolochia durior (= A. macrophylla) – Common Dutchman's Pipe, Common Pipevine
- Aristolochia erecta – Swanflower
- Aristolochia eriantha
- Aristolochia esperanzae Kuntze
- Aristolochia fangchi Y.C.Wu ex L.D.Chow & S.M.Hwang
- Aristolochia filipendulina
- Aristolochia fimbriata – White-veined Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia foetida – Jalisco Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia foveolata
- Aristolochia galeata
- Aristolochia gibertii (= A. giberti)
- Aristolochia giganteaAristolochia giganteaAristolochia gigantea is an ornamental plant native to Brazil, typical of Bahia and Minas Gerais vegetation...
Mart. – Giant Pelican Flower, Brazilian Dutchman's Pipe - Aristolochia glandulosa J.Kickx f. – Cuban Birthwort
- Aristolochia gorgona
- Aristolochia grandifloraAristolochia grandifloraAristolochia grandiflora, or Pelican Flower, is a deciduous vine with enormous flowers that emit an odor that humans consider unpleasant but attractive to insects...
Sw. – Pelican Flower - Aristolochia griffithi
- Aristolochia guentheri
- Aristolochia hainanensisAristolochia hainanensisAristolochia hainanensis is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is endemic to China.-References:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
Merr.Elmer Drew MerrillElmer Drew Merrill was an American botanist, specializing in the flora of the Asia-Pacific region.He was born in East Auburn, Maine, and attended the University of Maine where he received a B.S. in 1898... - Aristolochia hians
- Aristolochia hirta
- Aristolochia holtzei
- Aristolochia indicaAristolochia indicaAristolochia indica is a creeper plant found in Kerala in India and also Sri Lanka. This plant is critical to the survival of the Southern Birdwing and Common Birdwing. It reaches a height of several metres on trees and cover the branches with thick foliage. It flowers once a year to produce seeds....
L. - Aristolochia inflata
- Aristolochia iquitensis
- Aristolochia islandica
- Aristolochia kaempferi Willd.
- Aristolochia kewensis
- Aristolochia klugii – Moth-winged Birthwort
- Aristolochia labiataAristolochia labiataAristolochia labiata is an ornamental plant which is native to Brazil.-See also:* Aristolochia erecta – Swanflower* Aristolochia gigantea - Giant Pelican Flower...
Willd. – Mottled Dutchman's Pipe, Rooster Flower - Aristolochia leuconeura
- Aristolochia lindneri
- Aristolochia lingulata
- Aristolochia littoralisAristolochia littoralisAristolochia littoralis is an evergreen deciduous vine belonging to the Aristolochiaceae family.-Etymology:...
D.Parodi – Elegant Dutchman's Pipe, Calico Flower - Aristolochia longaAristolochia longaAristolochia longa is a species of pipevine....
– Long Aristolochia, Sarrasine - Aristolochia macrophylla Lam.
- Aristolochia macroura
- Aristolochia manchuriensis
- Aristolochia mathewsii
- Aristolochia maurorum
- Aristolochia maxima Jacq. – Florida Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia moupinensis
- Aristolochia nana – Tiny Pelican Flower
- Aristolochia obliquaAristolochia obliquaAristolochia obliqua is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is endemic to China.-References:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
S.M.Hwang - Aristolochia odoratissima L. – Fragrant Dutchman's Pipe, "contrayervaContrayervaIn botany, the contrayerva, or contrajerva, is the root and scaly rhizome of various tropical American species of Dorstenia in the family Moraceae , a South American plant, the aromatic root of which is sometimes used in medicine as a gentle stimulant and tonic...
" (on JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
) - Aristolochia orbicularis
- Aristolochia ornithocephala – Bird's Head Pipevine
- Aristolochia ovalifolia
- Aristolochia pallida
- Aristolochia parviflora
- Aristolochia paulistana Hoehne
- Aristolochia peltata L. – Peltate Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia pentandra Jacq. – Marsh's Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia pfeiferi – dubsangid (KunaKuna languageThe Guna language, spoken by the Kuna people of Panama and Colombia, belongs to the Chibchan language family.-Vowels:Vowels may be short or long.-Consonants:...
) - Aristolochia pilosa
- Aristolochia pistolochia L.
- Aristolochia poecilantha
- Aristolochia pontica
- Aristolochia prostrata
- Aristolochia pubera
- Aristolochia raja
- Aristolochia reticulata Jacq. – Red River Snakeroot, Texas Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia ridicula N.E.Br.
- Aristolochia ringens Vahl – Gaping Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia rotunda L. – SmearwortSmearwortSmearwort , also known as Round-leaved Birthwort, English Mercury, Mercury Goosefoot, Allgood, Tola Bona or "Fat Hen", is a herbaceous perennial plant native to Southern Europe.-Etymology:...
, Round Birthwort (Bush), English Mercury, Mercury Goosefoot, Allgood, Tola Bona, "fat henFat HenFat hen or fat-hen may refer to:* Hen and chicks, common name for a group of small succulent flowering plants native to Europe and northern Africa* Fat Hen, common name for Aristolochia rotunda , a perennial herb native to Southern Europe...
" - Aristolochia rugosa Lam. – Mat Root (Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
) - Aristolochia schippii
- Aristolochia scytophyllaAristolochia scytophyllaAristolochia scytophylla is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is endemic to China.-References:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
S.M.Hwang & D.L.Chen - Aristolochia sempervirens L.
- Aristolochia serpentariaAristolochia serpentariaAristolochia serpentaria is a species of perennial flowering plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. The species is commonly known as Virginia snakeroot and is native to eastern North America, from Connecticut to southern Michigan and south to Texas and Florida.-Protection:Virginia snakeroot is...
L. – Virginia Snakeroot - Aristolochia silvatica
- Aristolochia siphoAristolochia siphoAristolochia sipho is an ornamental plant in the Aristolochiaceae family....
L'Hér.Charles Louis L'Héritier de BrutelleCharles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle was an 18th century French botanist and magistrate. Born into an affluent upper-class Parisian family, connections with the French Royal Court secured him the position of Superindent of Parisian Waters and Forests at the age of twenty-six... - Aristolochia socorroensis
- Aristolochia sprucei – Spruce-leaved Aristolochia
- Aristolochia stomachoides
- Aristolochia surinamensis Willd.
- Aristolochia tagalaAristolochia tagalaAristolochia tagala is commonly known as Indian birthwort and locally as Dutchman's pipe.-Distribution:It is widely distributed: the distribution is from the Himalaya to Sri Lanka through South East Asia and China, to Oceania...
– Indian Birthwort - Aristolochia taliscana
- Aristolochia thozetii
- Aristolochia thwaitesiiAristolochia thwaitesiiAristolochia thwaitesii is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is endemic to China.-References:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
Hook - Aristolochia tomentosaAristolochia tomentosaAristolochia tomentosa is a species of flowering plant in the Aristolochiaceae family.-References:*C. Neinhuis, S. Wanke1, K. W. Hilu, K. Müller and T. Borsch, . Phylogeny of Aristolochiaceae based on parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian analyses of trnL-trnF sequences. Plant Systematics and...
Sims – Woolly Pipevine, Woolly Dutchman's Pipe - Aristolochia tricaudata
- Aristolochia trilobata – Bejuco de Santiago, Tref (Trinidad and Tobago)
- Aristolochia tuberosaAristolochia tuberosaAristolochia tuberosa is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is endemic to China.-References:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
C.F.Liang & S.M.Hwang - Aristolochia urupaensis – Heart-leaved Aristolochia
- Aristolochia utriformisAristolochia utriformisAristolochia utriformis is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is endemic to China. It is found in Forests at about 1900 meters in Yunnan Province. The plants are climbing herbs or shurbs that have pointed leaves with heart shaped bases. The yellow-green flowers are tube shaped...
S.M.Hwang - Aristolochia watsonii Woot. & Standl. – Watson's Dutchman's Pipe
- Aristolochia weddellii
- Aristolochia westlandiiAristolochia westlandiiAristolochia westlandii is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is found in China and Hong Kong. It is found in valley forests in Guangdong Province at an elevation of 300 to 800 meters. The leaves are long, narrow and pointed . The flowers are bent tubes from 10 to 15 cm long...
Hemsl. - Aristolochia wrightii Seem.
- Aristolochia yunnanensisAristolochia yunnanensisAristolochia yunnanensis is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is endemic to China.-References:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
Franch.Adrien René FranchetAdrien René Franchet was a French botanist, based at the Paris Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. He is noted for his extensive work describing the flora of China and Japan, based on the collections made by Armand David, Pierre Jean Marie Delavay, Paul Guillaume Farges and others.-References:...
Formerly placed here
- Abuta amaraAbuta amaraAbuta amara is a species in the Menispermaceae family....
(as Aristolochia amara) - Pararistolochia goldieanaPararistolochia goldieanaPararistolochia goldieana is a species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Hook.f.) Hutch. & Dalziel (as A. goldieana Hook.f.)
See also
- Nepenthes aristolochioidesNepenthes aristolochioidesNepenthes aristolochioides is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of 1800–2500 m above sea level. It has an extremely unusual pitcher morphology, having an almost vertical opening to its traps....
, a carnivorous plantCarnivorous plantCarnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic...
with pitchers resembling Aristolochia flowers - OpodeldocOpodeldocOpodeldoc is a name given by the physician Paracelsus to a sort of liniment which he invented, or at least bestowed this name on.Paracelsus's opodeldoc was a mixture of soap in alcohol, to which camphor and sometimes a number of herbal essences, most notably wormwood, were added...
External links
- Pictures of Aristolochia chilensis and Aristolochia bridgesii
- http://jollinart.centerblog.net/