Aristolochia rotunda
| Aristolochia rotunda | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Aristolochia rotunda (common name: snakeroot)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the autumn. Pre-soak stored seed for 48 hours in hand-hot water and surface sow in a greenhouse[1]. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 20°c[1]. Stored seed germinates better if it is given 3 months cold stratification at 5°c[2]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts.
Division in autumn[2].
Root cuttings in winter[2].
Cultivation: Prefers a well-drained loamy soil, rich in organic matter, in sun or semi-shade[3][1][2]. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1].
Most species in this genus have malodorous flowers that are pollinated by flies[2].
Range: Europe - Mediterranean. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[4].
Habitat: Found amongst shrubs and herbaceous plants[5] along the sides of roads, in fields and in meadows[6].
Medicinal: The root is antitussive, diuretic, emmenagogue, pectoral, vermifuge and vulnerary[7][6][8][9]. This herb should only be used internally with expert advice since large doses can provoke abortions as well as poisoning with inflammation of the mucous membranes, resulting in respiratory paralysis[6]. The plant contains aristolochic acid which, whilst stimulating white blood cell activity and speeding the healing of wounds, is also carcinogenic and damaging to the kidneys[10]. Externally the plant is used to treat a variety of skin complaints including eczema and difficult to heal ulcers[6]. The root is harvested in late spring and dried for later use[6].
Pollinators: Flies
Soil: Can grow in medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The plant is poisonous in large quantities[6].
The plant contains aristolochic acid, this has received rather mixed reports on its toxicity. According to one report aristolochic acid stimulates white blood cell activity and speeds the healing of wounds,
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press, 1980.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.