Common Name: PIPEVINE FAMILY Habit: Perennial herb, woody vine, [shrub], rhizomed, aromatic. Stem: branched, occasionally +- underground. Leaf: simple, basal, cauline, or arising from rhizome, alternate; blade generally cordate, entire. Inflorescence: flower generally 1, axillary or terminal. Flower: bisexual, radial or bilateral; sepals 3, free or fused; petals generally 0; stamens generally 6 or 12, free or fused to style; pistil generally 1, ovary +- or partly inferior, chambers generally 6. Fruit: generally capsule. Seed: many. Genera In Family: 5--8 genera, +- 500 species: mainly tropics, warm temperate; some cultivated (Aristolochia, Asarum, Saruma). eFlora Treatment Author: Michael R. Mesler & Karen Lu Scientific Editor: Douglas H. Goldman, Bruce G. Baldwin.
Common Name: PIPEVINE, BIRTHWORT Stem: generally climbing. Leaf: cauline. Inflorescence: flower axillary. Flower: [often foul smelling] sepals fused into a generally curved tube, deciduous, lobes 1--3; stamens 6, fused to style. Seed: flat. Etymology: (Greek: best birth, from use as medication in childbirth) Reference: Ohi-Toma et al. 2006 Syst Bot 31:481--492
Aristolochia californica Torr.
NATIVE Habit: Plant soft-hairy. Stem: generally < 5 m, twining. Leaf: deciduous; blade 3--15 cm, ovate-cordate to sagittate. Flower: fragrance musty; sepals 3, tube 2--4 cm, U-shaped, +- green to pale brown, with thick +- yellow to red lining, veins purple. Fruit: winged capsule. Chromosomes: 2n=28. Ecology: Streamsides, forest, chaparral; Elevation: < 700 m. Bioregional Distribution: KR, NCoRI, NCoRO, CaRF, n&c SNF, ScV, CCo, SnFrB. Flowering Time: Jan--Apr Note: Pollinated by fungus gnats. Synonyms: Isotrema californicum (Torr.) H. Huber Jepson eFlora Author: Michael R. Mesler & Karen Lu Reference: Ohi-Toma et al. 2006 Syst Bot 31:481--492 Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange) Previous taxon: Aristolochia Next taxon: Asarum
Jepson Video for Aristolochia californica
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Botanical illustration including Aristolochia californica
Citation for this treatment: Michael R. Mesler & Karen Lu 2012, Aristolochia californica, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=14232, accessed on April 24, 2024.
Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on April 24, 2024.
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(Note: any qualifiers in the taxon distribution description, such as 'northern', 'southern', 'adjacent' etc., are not reflected in the map above, and in some cases indication of a taxon in a subdivision is based on a single collection or author-verified occurence).
Data provided by the participants of the
Consortium of California Herbaria.
MAP LEGEND View all CCH records All markers link to CCH specimen records. The original determination is shown in the popup window.
Blue markers indicate specimens that map to one of the expected Jepson geographic subdivisions (see left map). Purple markers indicate specimens collected from a garden, greenhouse, or other non-wild location.
Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues.
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CCH collections by month
Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa, if there are more than 1 infraspecific taxon in CA.
Blue line denotes eFlora flowering time (fruiting time in some monocot genera).
