Aristolochia ARISTOLOCHIACEAE-POLYGONACEAE Tovara 



Key to the Genera 



Caulescent herbs or vines: fls. irregular; stamens 6; anthers versatile 1. Aristolochia 



Stemless herbs: fls. regular; stamens 12, with filaments 2. Asarum 



1. Aristolochia Linn. Birthwort H^^M (Ma Tou Ling Shu) 



Plants with Ify. usually tunning stems: perianth colored, the tube inflated above 

 the ovary, the chamber opening by a narrow hairy passage to the outer part of the 

 flower: capsule septicidally 6-valved. About 180 species, mostly tropical; 10 in 

 China. (From the Greek terms meaning "best" and " Child-birth," on account of 

 its supposed medicinal qualities.) 



Key to the Species 



Plant glabrous: lvs. deltoid-oblong, about twice as long as broad I. A. debilis 



Plant densely woolly-hairy: lvs. cordate, about as broad as long 2. A. mollissima 



1. Aristolochia debilis Sieb. & Zucc. M&$> (Ma Tou Ling; Horse-bridle Bell) (Mak. 

 F. 634). Climbing herb; fls. purple, VII-IX; fr. IX-X. Japan, China; locally in 

 Ki., Che. Woodland. 



2. Aristolochia mollissima Hance tfeMW (Huai T'ung T'eng) (J.B. 1879, 300). 

 Herbaceous vine; fls. reddish purple, V-VI. China; locally in Ku. Brushland. 

 Fig. 74. 



2. Asarum Linn. Wild Ginger tl'MU (Tu Heng Shu) 

 Stemless, with aromatic creeping rootstocks: lvs. 1 or 2, long-petiolate: fls. 

 solitary, regular, dark purple, close to the ground ; perianth 3~cleft: capsule somewhat 

 fleshy. 13 species, in north temperate regions; 8 in China. (Ancient Latin name.) 

 1. Asarum sieboldii Miq. U^ (Hsi Hsin; Delicate Acrid Flavor) (Mak. F. 636). 

 Perennial herb; fls. IV-VI; medicinal rhizome. China and Korea; locally in An., 

 Ku. Shady places. 



49. POLYGONACEAE Buckwheat Family #1^ (Liao K'o) 

 Herbs or shrubs with simple alternate lvs. and sheathing stipules called ocreae: 

 fls. usually perfect; ovary superior: fr. an acliene, sometimes enclosed in an enlarged 

 and rarely fleshy perianth. About 35 genera with 800 species; 7 genera and 85 

 species in China. 



Key to the Genera 



A. Herbs (rarely shrubs): brs. not conspicuously flattened: fr. dry 

 (exceptions in Polygonum). 

 B. Perianth 5- or 4-parted, not much enlarged in fr. 



Style persistent, 2-parted to the base, with recurved hooked 



tips 1 • Tovara 



Style neither persistent nor hooked at the tip 2. Polygonum 



BB. Perianth 6-parted, the inner segments often much enlarged in fr. 

 Ocreae large and conspicuous : stamens usually 8-10 : stout 



herbs with broad basal lvs 3 . Rheum 



Ocreae not conspicuous: stamens 6: common weeds 4. Rumex 



AA. Shrubs with flat ribbon-like brs.: fr. fleshy, an achene surrounded 



by the fleshy perianth 5 . Muehlenbeckia 



1. Tovara Adans. Jumpseed &$|^l@| (Chin Hsien Ts'ao Shu) 

 Erect perennial herbs from knotted rhizomes: perianth 4-parted, not much 



95 



