''Aristolochia littoralis'', the calico flower or مورپنکھ بیل or elegant Dutchman's pipe, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Aristolochiaceae The Aristolochiaceae () are a family, the birthwort family, of flowering plants with seven genera and about 400 known species belonging to the order Piperales. The type genus is ''Aristolochia'' L. Description They are mostly perennial, herb ...

Etymology

The scientific name ''Aristolochia'' was developed from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

''aristos'' (''άριστος'') "best" + ''locheia'' (''λοχεία''), "childbirth" or "childbed", as in ancient times the plant was thought to be effective against infections caused by childbirth. The species Latin name ''littoralis'' means “coastal”.

Description

''Aristolochia littoralis'' is a climbing vine that can reach about in length. The slender stems are woody and the leaves are bright green, cordate, amplexicaul, long and wide, forming a dense attractive foliage. Flowers are heart-shaped, greenish yellow with intricate purplish-brown markings. These unusual flowers are about long, grow solitary in the leaf axils and resemble Sherlock Holmes's pipe (hence the common name of "Dutchman's pipe"). The inner surface of the flared mouth is completely purplish-brown. The flowering period extends through all summer. These plants are pollinated by flies which are attracted by the unpleasant carrion-like odor produced by the flowers. The numerous winged seeds are borne in dry

dehiscent Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...

capsules that split like small parachutes. As the seeds are winged they are easily dispersed by wind. Plants in the related genus '' Pararistolochia'' differ by having fleshy moist fruit that do not split. This plant contains

aristolochic acid Aristolochic acids () are a family of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and nephrotoxic phytochemicals commonly found in the flowering plant family Aristolochiaceae (birthworts). Aristolochic acid (AA) I is the most abundant one. The family Aristolochiacea ...

, a toxic alkaloid.

Distribution

The vining plant is native to southern and western

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. It is found in: *

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in Ceara, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Rondonia, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo states. *

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

in Corrientes, Entre Rios, Jujuy, Misiones, and Santa Fe Provinces. *

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

in Amambay, Central, Concepcion, Cordillera, Paraguari, and San Pedro Departments. *

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

, and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. It is an

invasive species in Australia Invasive species in Australia are a serious threat to the native biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variabi ...

and in the southern United States. In Australia it is fatal to the caterpillars of two butterflies, the

Cairns birdwing ''Ornithoptera euphorion'', the Cairns birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly endemic to Queensland, and is Australia's largest endemic butterfly species. Other common names include Cooktown birdwing and northern birdwing.Braby (2004) p. 12 ...

(''Ornithoptera euphorion'') and of the threatened

Richmond birdwing ''Ornithoptera richmondia'', the Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species, the smallest being '' Ornithoptera meridionalis''. Distribution Historicall ...

(''O. richmondia''), and threatens to displace their proper host plant, '' A. tagala''.

Habitat

''Aristolochia littoralis'' prefers acid-neutral soils (pH 5.5 – 7.0) and average moisture, in part sun to shade, at an elevation of about

Cultivation

This

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

plant requires a minimum temperature of 7 °C, and in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions is grown under glass. It has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

Gallery

File:Aristolochiaceae - Aristolochia littoralis.JPG, Flower and immature fruit of ''Aristolochia littoralis'' File:Starr 080716-9434 Aristolochia littoralis.jpg, The dense foliage File:Starr 080716-9433 Aristolochia littoralis.jpg, Leaves and immature fruit File:Starr 080716-9441 Aristolochia littoralis.jpg, The

capsules File:Starr 080716-9445 Aristolochia littoralis.jpg, The winged seeds

References

* Forest Starr, Kim Starr, and Lloyd Loop
Aristolochia littoralis
*
Floridata

External links

Plants

Plants of Hawaii

Toptropicals
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1891719 littoralis Flora of Brazil Flora of southern South America Flora of western South America Garden plants of South America Vines