Family:
Aristolochiaceae Juss.

Aristolochia L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Cosmopolitan.

[FTEA]

Aristolochiaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1986

Morphology General Habit
Erect, twining or scrambling perennial herbs or shrubs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves entire or mostly 3–7-lobed, usually cordate, 3–7-nerved, sometimes with an undeveloped axillary stipule-like leaf
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers irregular, solitary or in fascicles, axillary, with coloured perianth, adnate to ovary below, elongate tubular, variously bent, usually inflated at base around the style, hairy inside, narrowed at the throat; limb open or recurved, entire or 3–6-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens usually 6 or more, the anthers sessile in a row adnate to the style or dorsal side of the stigma
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary inferior, usually 6-locular; style short, 3–6-lobed at apex
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule septicidally dehiscent, with 6 valves or splitting through the placentas
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds compressed, mostly winged all round or thick with an elaiosome.

[FZ]

Aristolochiaceae, B.L. Stannard. Flora Zambesiaca 9:2. 1997

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herbs or shrubs, erect, scrambling or climbing, often with a fetid smell.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves entire or 3–7-lobed, usually cordate, 3–7-nerved, sometimes with an axillary stipule-like leaf.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers usually zygomorphic, solitary, fasciculate or in racemose inflorescences, sometimes very large.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth coloured, tubular; the tube constricted briefly above its attachment to the ovary apex, then abruptly inflated into a subglobose or oblong–ellipsoid utricle, cylindrical or funnel-shaped above the utricle and straight or variously bent, expanding into a very variable, sometimes unilateral, entire or 3–6-lobed limb.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens usually 6, rarely more; anthers sessile, adnate to the stylar column.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary inferior, usually merging imperceptibly into the pedicel, usually 6-locular; style with 3–6 stigmatic lobes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits capsular, 6-valved, dehiscing septicidally.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds numerous, usually with a peripheral wing, often ± covered on one side by the thickened raphe.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Erect, twining or scrambling perennial herbs or shrubs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves entire or 3–7-lobed, usually cordate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers axillary, solitary or clustered, irregular, with perianth elongate, tubular, adnate to ovary below, variously bent, usually inflated at base around the style, hairy inside, narrowed at the throat; limb entire or lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens usually 6 or more, the anthers sessile in a row adnate to the style
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary usually 6-celled; style short
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule septicidally dehiscent with 6 valves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds compressed, often winged.
Distribution
Some 540 species, mainly in the tropics and subtropics, few in temperate regions.

[FTEA]

Aristolochiaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1986

Morphology General Habit
Climbing woody shrubs with mostly little-branched stems sometimes extending up to 30 m. or more
Morphology Leaves
Leaves entire or 3-lobed, rounded, cuneate or cordate at the base; pseudostipules absent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers often large, mostly borne on the old wood but in 1 or 2 species sometimes a few on leafy shoots
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx mostly obliquely tubular, the base inflated-globose, pouched, slightly or gradually widened upwards; limb regularly 3-lobed or irregularly lobed with 2 lobes longer than the third or with 1–3 long tails on one side of the mouth
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
Anthers 6–24 (often 9)
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmatic lobes 6–12 (often 9); ovary elongate, 6-locular
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit elongate, woody, cucumber-like, indehiscent, strong-ly 6-ribbed, ± striate transversely
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds triangular, flattened, arranged in line in each locule.

Native to:

Alabama, Albania, Algeria, Andaman Is., Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Arizona, Arkansas, Assam, Austria, Bahamas, Baleares, Baltic States, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bismarck Archipelago, Bolivia, Borneo, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Bulgaria, Burkina, Burundi, Cabinda, California, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Is., Central African Repu, Central European Rus, Chad, Chile Central, Chile North, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Connecticut, Corse, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Delaware, District of Columbia, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, East Himalaya, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Florida, France, French Guiana, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Gulf States, Guyana, Hainan, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Illinois, India, Indiana, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jawa, Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Kenya, Khabarovsk, Korea, Kriti, Krym, Laos, Lebanon-Syria, Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Louisiana, Madagascar, Madeira, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Maluku, Manchuria, Maryland, Mexican Pacific Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, Netherlands, New Guinea, New Jersey, New Mexico, New South Wales, New York, Nicaragua, Nicobar Is., Niger, Nigeria, North Carolina, North Caucasus, Northern Territory, Northwest European R, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oman, Ontario, Pakistan, Palestine, Panamá, Paraguay, Pennsylvania, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Puerto Rico, Queensland, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sicilia, Sierra Leone, Sinai, Solomon Is., Somalia, South Carolina, South European Russi, Southwest Caribbean, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tennessee, Texas, Thailand, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vermont, Vietnam, Virginia, West Himalaya, West Virginia, Western Australia, Windward Is., Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Christmas I., Cook Is., Denmark, Galápagos, Gambia, Great Britain, Hawaii, KwaZulu-Natal, Marianas, Massachusetts, Mauritius, New Caledonia, Northern Provinces, Norway, Québec, Réunion, Society Is., Sweden, Tonga, Tuamotu, Uzbekistan, Venezuelan Antilles

Aristolochia L. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Banziger, H. [433], Thailand 29047.684 No
Lewis, G.P. [817], Brazil 46421.000 No
58822.000 No
Milliken, W. [1981], Brazil 59728.000 No
Lamb, A. [ALFB 117/87], Borneo 60201.000 No
Ollerton, J. [137], Guyana 76077.000 No
Bolland, G. [35], Brazil K001106542 Yes
Usteri, P.A. [300B], Brazil K001106543 Yes
Finlayson, G. [Cat. no. s.n.] K001132520 Yes
Harley, R.M. [19867], Brazil K001106541 Yes
Lankester, C.H. [s.n.], Brazil K001106544 Yes
Heringer, E.P. [2615], Brazil K001106545 Yes
Oliveira, M. [158], Brazil K001106540 Yes
De Silva, F. [Cat. no. 9108] K001132227 Yes
Groves, M. [127], Cameroon Pararistolochia 61674.000 No
Etuge, M. [4214], Cameroon Pararistolochia 61686.000 No
Harris, D.J. [2340], Central African Republic Pararistolochia 63047.000 No
Etuge, M. [1726], Cameroon Pararistolochia 71438.000 No

First published in Sp. Pl.: 960 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 529. MIM, Deurne.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • —F.T.A. 6, 1: 135.

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 410 (1754).
  • H. Huber in Kubitzki et al., Fam. Gen. Vasc. Pl. 2: 129 (1993).
  • Sp. Pl.: 960 (1753)

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by M. Thulin [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • L., Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 410 (1754)
  • Pfeifer in Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 53: 115–196 (1966)
  • Sp. Pl.: 960 (1753)
  • Tax. Rev. Pentandrous Species Aristolochia, Connecticut (1970)

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0