Aristolochia griffithii Hook. fil. & Thoms. ex Duch.

Shrubs climbing. Stems terete, striate, densely reddish brown villous. Petiole 5-10 cm, densely villous; leaf blade cordate to orbicular, 10-28 × 8-26 cm, papery, abaxially densely red-brown or white villous, adaxially sparsely pubescent, veins palmate, 3-4 pairs from base, base cordate to auriculate, sinus 3-6 cm, apex acute or shortly acuminate. Flowers solitary. Peduncle pendulous, ca. 10 cm, villous; bractlets ovate, 3 × 2.5 cm, inserted below middle of peduncle. Calyx dark purple with yellow spots on tube and limb, throat blood red, 10-12 cm; tube horseshoe-shaped, abaxially villous; basal portion of tube ca. 80 × 35 mm; limb discoid-rotund, 6-12 cm in diam., shallowly 3-lobed; lobes broadly deltoid. Anthers oblong, 3-4 mm. Gynostemium 3-lobed. Capsule cylindric, 10-18 × 2.5-3 cm, dehiscing basipetally. Seeds ovoid, ca. 4 × 3 mm, upper surface plano-convex, lower surface deeply concave, with a septumlike funiculus at center, rugose or smooth. Fl. Apr-Jul, fr. Aug-Oct.

Himalaya (Nepal to NEFA), S. Tibet.

Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, NE India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim].

2000-2900 m

Mixed forests; 2100-2800 m.

Aristolochia yunnanensis Franchet; A. yunnanensis var. meionantha Handel-Mazzetti; Isotrema griffithii (J. D. Hooker & Thomson ex Duchartre) C. E. C. Fischer.

Flowering from April to July; fruiting from August to October.

Aristolochia griffithii is close relative of Aristolochia zhongdianensis, but differs from the latter in its leaf blade cordate-reniform or rounded-cordate (vs. deltate-cordate), 3-4 × 4-5 cm (vs. 0.5-3 × 0.5-2 cm), base shallowly cordate (vs. auriculate).

Aristolochia griffithii is occurring in Xizang, Yunnan of China, Bhutan, NE India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim.

Phylogeny of Aristolochia sensu lato were inferred from nucleotide sequences of the chloroplast rbcL gene, the nuclear-encoded phytochrome A (phyA) gene, and the chloroplast matK gene of over 80 species (Ohi-toma et al., 2006). All phylogenetic trees produced with the three genes indicate that Aristolochia sensu lato is a monophyletic group, consisting of two lineages that correspond to the subtribes Aristolochiinae and Isotrematinae. The matK phylogeny shows that each of the lineages includes two sublineages. The Aristolochiinae clade is composed of the Aristolochia sensu stricto and Pararistolochia clades, and the Isotrematinae clade of the Isotrema and Endodeca clades. Chromosome numbers are predominantly congruent with the phylogeny: the Aristolochiinae clade shows chromosome numbers of 2n = 6, 12, 14, or 16, while the Isotrematinae clade is characterized by 2n = 32.

Shrubs climbing. Stems terete, striate, densely reddish brown villous. Petiole 5-10 cm, densely villous; leaf blade cordate to orbicular, 10-28 cm long, 8-26 cm wide, papery, abaxially densely red-brown or white villous, adaxially sparsely pubescent, veins palmate, 3-4 pairs from base, base cordate to auriculate, sinus 3-6 cm, apex acute or shortly acuminate. Flowers solitary. Peduncle pendulous, ca. 10 cm, villous; bractlets ovate, 3 long, 2.5 cm wide, inserted below middle of peduncle. Calyx dark purple with yellow spots on tube and limb, throat blood red, 10-12 cm; tube horseshoe-shaped, abaxially villous; basal portion of tube ca. 80 mm long, 35 mm wide; limb discoid-rotund, 6-12 cm in diameter, shallowly 3-lobed; lobes broadly deltoid. Anthers oblong, 3-4 mm. Gynostemium 3-lobed. Capsule cylindric, 10-18 × 2.5-3 cm, dehiscing basipetally. Seeds ovoid, ca. 4 × 3 mm, upper surface plano-convex, lower surface deeply concave, with a septumlike funiculus at center, rugose or smooth.

The chromosomal number of Aristolochia griffithii is 2n = 32 (Yu et al., 1995).

Growing in mixed forest; 2100-2800 m.

Aristolochia griffithii is reported be vulnerable (China Plant Specialist Group, 2004).

Aristolochia yunnanensis is a species of plant in the family Aristolochiaceae. It is endemic to China.