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Aristolochia bracteolata

Aristolochia bracteolata
Photo: Thamizhpparithi Maari, CC BY-SA 3.0

Aristolochia bracteolata is a low-growing, climbing or prostrate perennial vine from dry tropical regions of Africa, the Middle East and India, known as 'worm killer' for its use in traditional medicine. It is a wild plant rarely grown as an ornamental, so the care fields describe it as a dry-climate wild species.

Family
Aristolochiaceae (Aristolochi family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly, letting the soil dry out fully between waterings, as it is adapted to seasonally dry climates.
Soil
Sandy or well-drained mineral soil, including lava-type soils.
Temperature
18–35 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: Aristolochic acids in the plant are nephrotoxic and carcinogenic, and the plant has an unpleasant smell; handle with care.
Native range
Mali to Arabian Pen. and Tanzania, Indian Subcontinent to Myanmar
Climate
seasonally dry tropical

About

Aristolochia bracteolata also known as 'worm killer' in English due to its anthelminthic activity and trypanocidal effect, is a perennial herb growing from 10–60 cm tall. The plant is important in traditional medicine in Africa, India and the Middle East.

Where it grows

Aristolochia bracteolata grows in subsaharan regions from Mali to Somalia through to the Arabian peninsula and India. The plant grows at elevations of 50-740m above sea level and can be found on the banks of rivers, bushland, desert grasslands. It grows in sandy or lava soils.

Other Aristolochia plants

Indian birthwort · Aristolochia amara · Aristolochia argentina · Cairns Birdwing Butterfly Plant · Andalusian Dutchman's Pipe · Aristolochia boosii · Aristolochia cauliflora · Aristolochia ceropegioides · Aristolochia chalmersii · Aristolochia chilensis · Birthwort · Aristolochia clusii

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aristolochia bracteolata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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