Aristolochia tuberosa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aristolochia tuberosa | |
|---|---|
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| Herbarium pressing of Aristolochia tuberosa, collected in 1895. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Aristolochiaceae |
| Genus: | Aristolochia |
| Species: | A. tuberosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Aristolochia tuberosa C.F.Liang & S.M.Hwang | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
Aristolochia cinnabarina C.Y.Cheng & J.L.Wu | |
Aristolochia tuberosa, commonly known as bei she sheng (背蛇生), is a species of herbaceous plant in the family Aristolochiaceae that is native to China and Vietnam.[3][2]
It is a climbing perennial herb with tuberous roots of fusiform or spherical structure. Its leaves are cordate and hairless, typically 8-14 × 5-11 cm, with palmate venation. The stems are angled and hairless, and the petioles are 7-10 cm in length. The male and female reproductive structures are fused into a single gynostemium, and it produces ovoid seeds measuring around 4 × 3 mm. One to three flowers form on each axil, with blooming occurring from November to April and fruiting from June to October.[3]
Taxonomy
Aristolochia tuberosa was first described in 1975 by Chou-Fen Liang and Shu-Mei Hwang within the academic journal Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica. It was noted as being physically comparable to Aristolochia tubiflora.[4]
Distribution and Habitat
It occurs in several provinces across southwestern and south-central China, including Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, and Yunnan.[3] It is also native to Vietnam.[2]
The plant is known to grow in mountainous limestone areas, as well as in thickets and valleys, at elevations ranging from 100-1600 meters.[3]
