Aristolochia philippinensis Warb.

Erect shrubby plant up to c. 1 m high. Old stem terete, 4 cm ø, slightly irregularly ridged. Branches terete, 5-10 mm ø, slightly striate, sparsely puberulous, glabrescent, or glabrous. Leaves membranous or chartaceous, lanceolate, elliptic, or oblanceolate, 8.5-24 by 3.5-8.5 cm; apex acuminate or cuspidate; base obtuse, sometimes slightly cuneate; margin entire, rarely remotely minutely toothed; glabrous on both surfaces, sometimes sparsely short-hairy on the midrib, nerves and reticulations beneath; basal nerves 1 pair, faint, ascending close to the margin at the basal part of the blade; lateral nerves 5-8 pairs, slightly elevated on both surfaces; veins loosely reticulate, some crossbar-like, distinct sometimes faint on both surfaces; petiole 4-8 (-20) mm, glabrous. Inflorescences in axils of foliage leaves, spiciform or racemiform, rachis up to 2 (-6) cm long, with distinct internodes, sparsely shortly hairy or glabrous; bracts lanceolate, 2-4 mm long, shortly hairy on both surfaces, glabrescent. Pedicel and ovary 6-8 mm, sparsely hairy. Perianth straight, longitudinal and reticulate veins distinct, glabrous outside; utricle ovoid or ellipsoid, 6-7 by 5 mm, with a distinct stipe (3-4 mm) flanged at base; hairy inside, glandular bodies 2, obscurely orbicular, c. 0.7 mm ø; tube c. 15 by 2 mm, with scattered, glandular trichomes inside; limb 1-lipped, oblanceolate or narrow-oblanceolate, 18-25 by 3-6 mm, with scattered glandular trichomes, glabrescent. Stamens 6; anthers oblong, c. 1 mm long. Style column c. 4 mm long, 6-lobed; lobes triangular, 1 — 1.5 mm long, with an annular ring at the base. Capsules subglobose, shortly cylindric, or oblong-ellipsoid, 1.5-2.5 by 1.5 cm, glabrous. Seeds triangular or deltoid, 4-4.5 by 4 mm, not winged, verrucose beneath and marginal part above, funicle broadened and covering the upper surface.

In thickets and forest at low and medium altitudes, up to 900 m. Fl. March, June-Sept.; fr. Jan., March-May, Aug., Sept., Nov., Dec.

Uses. Decoction of the roots is used in the Philippines as a stomachic and emmenagogue ( QUISUMBING Medic. Pl. Philip. 1951 254 ).

Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.