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Dorstenia contrajerva
Also called Snakewort, Wart Flower
Dorstenia contrajerva is a plant species in the family Moraceae. It is native to northern South America and Central America, and is cultivated elsewhere. The species name "contrajerva" is the Latinized form of the plant's Spanish name, "contrahierba", a name for plants used for treating poisoning and venomous bites and stings, and for which its rootstocks are used in folk medicine (as contrayerva). It is the type species of the Dorstenia genus and was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.
Dorstenia contrajerva requires part to full shade and a rich soil that should be kept moist but not saturated. Fertilize weekly using a balanced fertilizer diluted to half of the recommended strength. It can become very weedy if the old receptacles are not picked off. The seeds are very viable and germinate on any soil. Repotting can be done at any time of the year. Easily propagated from seed or by division. Fresh seed will germinate in 7 to 14 days.
Dorstenia contrajerva is native to southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America including Peru. It is cultivated in Indonesia (Java) and Malaysia (Malacca), and locally in Africa and South America. In North America Dorstenia contrajerva has been introduced to Florida and is a weed in greenhouses and nurseries. It is sometimes cultivated as a house plant.
In folk medicine in Honduras, the boiled root is used for diarrhea, dysentery, and stomach ache. The slightly roasted and ground root is used to treat intestinal worms and parasites. The crushed root is mixed with water to treat the bites of snakes. In Nicaragua the boiled root is used to prevent diarrhea; minced raw rhizomes are used to treat diarrhea, sickness, stomach upset, indigestion, and worms. In El Salvador it is used for stomachache and to prevent vomiting. In Costa Rica the boiled root is used for diarrhea, and an infusion to lower fever. It is considered useful for diarrhea as well as an emmenagogue. In Mexico the latex is used to heal wounds and the inflorescences are given to teething children. In the Amazon region of Peru it is used as a tonic, against gangrene, and as an antidote for bee and wasp stings. In Argentina, the whole plant is used to treat snakebite. In Venezuela it is used as a sudorific and as a cure for dysentery.
Dorstenia albertii · Dorstenia appendiculata · Dorstenia arifolia · Dorstenia aristeguietae · Dorstenia bahiensis · Dorstenia barnimiana · Dorstenia barteri · Dorstenia belizensis · Dorstenia bonijesu · Dorstenia bowmanniana · Dorstenia brasiliensis · Dorstenia brevipetiolata
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dorstenia contrajerva by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
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.
