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Stephania

Stephania
Photo: 天問, CC BY 2.0

Stephania is a genus of about 70 herbaceous perennial climbing vines from the moonseed family, grown for their large tubers and ornamental foliage. Many species are native to tropical Asia and Africa, and they need warmth, good drainage and a tuber kept partly out of waterlogged soil.

Family
Menispermaceae (Menisperm family)
Grows as
Bulb, Perennial
Light
Bright indirect, Part shade
Water
Water freely in the growing season and let the top of the soil dry out between waterings; reduce sharply when the vine dies back.
Soil
Free-draining, loose mix such as loam with added sand, grit or perlite.
Temperature
18–30 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: Tubers and other parts contain alkaloids, some of which are poisonous if eaten, as the alkaloid studies of Stephania rotunda show.

About

Stephania is a genus of flowering plants in the family Menispermaceae. It includes 70 species native to tropical and southern Africa, eastern and southern Asia, Australia, and the tropical Pacific Islands. They are herbaceous perennial vines, growing to around four metres tall, with a large tuber. The leaves are arranged spirally on the stem and are peltate, with the leaf petiole attached near the centre of the leaf. The name Stephania comes from the Greek word for 'crown'. It refers to the anthers being arranged in a crown-like manner.

Safety

Chemical investigation of Stephania rotunda Lour. growing in Vietnam in 2005 led to the isolation and structural elucidation of three new alkaloids, 5-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxy-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-1(2H)-one, thaicanine 4-O-beta-D-glucoside, as well as (−)-thaicanine N-oxide (4-hydroxycorynoxidine), along with 23 known alkaloids.

Other Stephania plants

Stephania capitata · Stephania cephalantha · Stephania crebra · Snake vine · Stephania pierrei · Stephania tomentella

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Stephania 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.

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