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Aristolochia

Aristolochia
Family: Aristolochiaceae
Aristolochia image
  • FNA
  • VPAP
  • Gleason & Cronquist
  • Resources
Kerry Barringer in Flora of North America (vol. 3)
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.

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).

JANAS 32(1)
FLOWERS: zygomorphic; sepals connate, enlarged and petal-like, often s-shaped or pipe-shaped, rarely straight; petals absent; stamens 5-6,; pistil 5- 6-carpelled, the ovary inferior. SEEDS flat, rounded, or some¬times winged. NOTES: 500 spp.; world-wide, temperate and tropical regions. (Greek: aristos = best + lochia = delivery). REFERENCES: Mason, Charles T., Jr. 1999. Aristolochiaceae. Ariz.-Nev. Acad. Sci. 32(1).
Vascular plants of NE US and adjacent Canada
Cal tubular, irregular, S-shaped or pipe-shaped and 3-lobed at the summit, or straight and with a single unilateral terminal lobe; pet none; stamens in ours 6; anthers sessile, adnate to the style; ovary inferior, 6-locular (in ours); style short and stout; stigma broad, with 6 (in ours) lobes or angles; fr a septicidal, lobed or angled capsule, with numerous compressed, horizontal seeds; herbs or woody vines, usually with broad, alternate, palmately veined lvs, and with small or large fls solitary or fascicled in the axils. 500, cosmop.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Species within checklist: NYC EcoFlora - Historical and rare collections (version Aug 2018) || << 101 - 150 taxa >>
Aristolochia macrophylla
Media resource of Aristolochia macrophylla
Map not
Available
Aristolochia macroura
Media resource of Aristolochia macroura
Map not
Available
Aristolochia malacophylla
Media resource of Aristolochia malacophylla
Map not
Available
Aristolochia manchuriensis
Media
not available
Map not
Available
Aristolochia manshuriensis
Media resource of Aristolochia manshuriensis
Map not
Available
Aristolochia marioniana
Media
not available
Map not
Available
Aristolochia marshii
Media resource of Aristolochia marshii
Map not
Available
Aristolochia maurorum
Media resource of Aristolochia maurorum
Map not
Available
Aristolochia maxima
Media resource of Aristolochia maxima
Map not
Available
Aristolochia micrantha
Media
not available
Map not
Available
Aristolochia mollis
Media
not available
Map not
Available
Aristolochia mollissima
Media resource of Aristolochia mollissima
Map not
Available
Aristolochia montana
Media resource of Aristolochia montana
Map not
Available
Aristolochia monticola
Media resource of Aristolochia monticola
Map not
Available
Aristolochia moupinensis
Media resource of Aristolochia moupinensis
Map not
Available
Aristolochia mutabilis
Media resource of Aristolochia mutabilis
Map not
Available
Aristolochia mycteria
Media resource of Aristolochia mycteria
Map not
Available
Aristolochia nana
Media resource of Aristolochia nana
Map not
Available
Aristolochia nashii
Media resource of Aristolochia nashii
Map not
Available
Aristolochia navicularis
Media
not available
Map not
Available
Aristolochia nelsonii
Media resource of Aristolochia nelsonii
Map not
Available
Aristolochia nevesarmondiana
Media resource of Aristolochia nevesarmondiana
Map not
Available
Aristolochia oaxacana
Media resource of Aristolochia oaxacana
Map not
Available
Aristolochia oblongata
Media resource of Aristolochia oblongata
Map not
Available
Aristolochia occidentalis
Media
not available
Map not
Available
Aristolochia odoratissima
Media resource of Aristolochia odoratissima
Map not
Available
Aristolochia olivieri
Media resource of Aristolochia olivieri
Map not
Available
Aristolochia onoei
Media resource of Aristolochia onoei
Map not
Available
Aristolochia orbicularis
Media resource of Aristolochia orbicularis
Map not
Available
Aristolochia ovalifolia
Media resource of Aristolochia ovalifolia
Map not
Available
Aristolochia pacifica
Media resource of Aristolochia pacifica
Map not
Available
Aristolochia pallida
Media resource of Aristolochia pallida
Map not
Available
Aristolochia palmeri
Media resource of Aristolochia palmeri
Map not
Available
Aristolochia panamensis
Media resource of Aristolochia panamensis
Map not
Available
Aristolochia pardina
Media resource of Aristolochia pardina
Map not
Available
Aristolochia passiflorifolia
Media resource of Aristolochia passiflorifolia
Map not
Available
Aristolochia paucinervis
Media resource of Aristolochia paucinervis
Map not
Available
Aristolochia peltata
Media
not available
Map not
Available
Aristolochia pentandra
Media resource of Aristolochia pentandra
Map not
Available
Aristolochia peruviana
Media resource of Aristolochia peruviana
Map not
Available
Aristolochia pilosa
Media resource of Aristolochia pilosa
Map not
Available
Aristolochia pistolochia
Media resource of Aristolochia pistolochia
Map not
Available
Aristolochia pohliana
Media resource of Aristolochia pohliana
Map not
Available
Aristolochia pontica
Media resource of Aristolochia pontica
Map not
Available
Aristolochia praevenosa
Media
not available
Map not
Available
Aristolochia pringlei
Media resource of Aristolochia pringlei
Map not
Available
Aristolochia pueblana
Media resource of Aristolochia pueblana
Map not
Available
Aristolochia punctata
Media resource of Aristolochia punctata
Map not
Available
Aristolochia purpusii
Media resource of Aristolochia purpusii
Map not
Available
Aristolochia quercetorum
Media resource of Aristolochia quercetorum
Map not
Available
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