Image: Wikimedia Commons (See link for license)
Stemona family
Stemonaceae
ビャクブ科
A small family distributed in East to Southeast Asia and Australia. Stemona japonica occurs in Japan, and its tuberous roots are used in traditional Chinese medicine as 'Baibu'. Climbing or erect herbs.
Key Characteristics
- ●Leaves opposite or whorled with transversely arcuate venation
- ●4 tepals and 4 stamens
- ●Thick tuberous roots used medicinally
- ●Climbing or erect herbs
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate / Opposite / Whorled
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Palmate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Herb / Vine
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
4 petals
Ovary position
Superior / Half-inferior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Monocots > Pandanales > Stemonaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Establishment of a unique distribution range in East Asia
- ・Acquisition of defense mechanisms through alkaloid accumulation in tuberous roots
Plants in Stemona family on this site
AI-generated, needs verification