Stemona tuberosa Lour.

Glabrous twiner to 4 m. Roots forming a fascicle of many thick, fleshy, yellow or black tubers, up to c. 10 cm long. Leaves opposite, but those in proximal part of shoots often alternate; blade ovate or broadly ovate, 9-19.5 by 3-14 cm, base shal-lowly cordate or cordate, top acuminate, nerves 9-13; petiole 1.5-7 cm long. Inflorescence (l-)2-6-flowered; peduncle 2-8 cm long, free or fused with the petiole for 5-30 mm; bracts 5-15 m long. Flowers: pedicels 5-15 mm long; tepals outside green or yellow-green with dark green or purple stripes, green towards the tips, purple or brown-red inside with wine-red stripes, 25-50 by 4-10 mm. Stamens purple, 25-40 mm long; anthers 8-15 mm long, the thecae separated by a 1-1.5 mm high and smooth ridge; appendix of thecae 5-12 mm long, tips fused. Fruit green, pendent, 40-70 by 15-20 mm, 10-20-seeded. Seeds 9-17 mm long, acumen c. 4 mm, funicle c. 8 mm long, the base surrounded by a vesicular aril.

A tropical plant. It grows in tropical Asia. It grows in forests, thickets and mountain slopes between 300-2,300 m above sea level. It grows in well-drained soils and open places and can be in light shade. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

CAUTION: The roots contain alkaloids. The roots are treated with limewater then candied with sugar. They are also boiled as a vegetable.

Plants can be grown from seeds and cuttings.