Arisaema tortuosum (Wall.) Schott

Arisaema (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Alismatales > Araceae > Arisaema

Characteristics

Plants monoecious or male. Tuber depressed globose, 2-6 cm in diam. Cataphylls and petiole variously blotched with pinkish, gray dark brownish, or purplish. Leaves (1 or)2 or 3; petiole 5-30(-180) cm, proximal 2/3-5/6 sheathing into pseudostem; leaf blade pedate; leaflets 5-17, shortly petiolulate or sessile, greenish abaxially, dull green adaxially, variously shaped, rhombic-ovate or oblong to lanceolate, base cuneate, apex abruptly acuminate; central leaflet 5-30 × 1-7 cm; lateral leaflets gradually smaller to outermost. Peduncle emerging from pseudostem, 30-45(-200) cm, usually exceeding leaves. Spathe light green, usually glaucous green or dark purple; tube cylindric or funnelform, 2.5-7 × 1.5-3 cm, throat margins obliquely truncate, not recurved; limb slightly incurved, ovate or oblong, 4-12 × 2-5 cm, apex shortly acuminate. Spadix bisexual or male. Bisexual spadix: proximal part female, 2-4 cm; ovary broadly ovoid; style short; stigma disciform; male zone 2-3 cm. Male spadix: male zone ca. 4 cm; synandria widely spaced, stalked (1-3 mm), cream to orange, consisting of 2 or 3(-5) anthers; thecae dehiscing by lateral slits. Appendix ascending, sigmoid, green, glaucous, or dark purple, gradually tapering from sessile base to very acute apex, 7-23 mm, 3-12 mm in diam. at base, smooth. Infructescence upright, subglobose. Berries red. Seeds 3-5. Fl. Jun, fr. Aug.
More
A herb which forms tubers. It grows 1.5 m high. The tubers are round and flattened and 2-6 cm across. The leaf stalk is mottled. There are one or two leaves and 11-13 leaflets. These are narrow or sword shaped. The flower spathe is green and the tube is long. The mouth is contracted and has a long pointed tip. The fruit is a berry. The seeds have 4 or 5 angles.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality monoecy
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.1 - 0.5
Mature height (meter) 1.0 - 1.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a warm temperate plant. It grows in highland high rainfall areas. In China it grows in rocky slopes, path sides, stream sides, especially in disturbed areas between 1300-2900 m. In Nepal it grows at 1500-2200 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 7-10. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
More
Moist shady places in forests, shrubberies and also on open slopes; at elevations of 1,500-3,000 metres. Rocky slopes, path sides, streamsides, especially in disturbed areas; at elevations from 1,300-2,900 metres.
Light 3-7
Soil humidity 5-7
Soil texture 3-6
Soil acidity 2-6
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-10

Usage

The corms are cooked in water then mixed with salt and chilli. The young leaves are cooked and used as a vegetable. The fruit are roasted. The tuberous roots are buried and fermented. They are then dug up and washed and cooked.
Uses environmental use medicinal
Edible leaves roots tubers
Therapeutic use Anthelmintics (root), Colic (seed), Abdominal pain (stem), Anthelmintics (stem), Antirheumatic agents (stem), Common cold (stem), Insect repellents (stem), Insecticides (stem), Snake bites (stem), Common cold (tuber), Cough (tuber), Insect repellents (tuber), Scorpion stings (tuber), Snake bites (tuber), Irritant (tuber), Larvicide (unspecified), Contraceptive agents (unspecified), Anti-poisoning (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

It is grown from corms.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 30 - 180
Germination temperacture (C°) 12 - 15
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Arisaema tortuosum leaf picture by shailja khatri (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Arisaema tortuosum world distribution map, present in China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:85841-1
WFO ID wfo-0000274566
COL ID GND3
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Arisaema tortuosum Arum tortuosum Arisaema filiforme Arisaema curvatum Arisaema tortuosum var. curvatum Arisaema tortuosum var. helleborifolium Arisaema tortuosum var. steudelii

Lower taxons

Arisaema tortuosum var. neglectum Arisaema tortuosum subsp. sivadasanii Arisaema tortuosum subsp. tortuosum