Menispermaceae FAMILY

Stephania japonica

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

The bitter-tasting root is very poisonous due to its picrotoxin content[ 451 Title Flora Malesiana Series 1 Publication Author Various Website http://www.archive.org Publisher Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch Year 0 ISBN Description A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet ].

Botanical Description

Stephania japonica is a climbing plant producing slender stems, that can become slightly woody when old, from a woody rootstock[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ]. The leaves are sometimes harvested from the wild for medicinal purposes and to make a jelly.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeE. Asia - southern China, Japan, Korea, Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, Australia, Pacific

HabitatVillage margins, shrublands, open forests, forest margins, limestone mountains in southern China[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ]. Secondary forest, regrowths, hedges, thickets and on river banks, also in Nypa swamp, at elevations up to 2,000 metres[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ].