Bai xian shu
Stephania brachyandra
Family: Menispermaceae
What it is like
A soft vine. It loses its leaves during the year. The stems are winding and have lines along them. The leaf stalks are about the same length as the leaf blade. The leaf stalk joins the leaf blade about 1.5-3 cm from the edge. The leaf blade is thin and papery and triangle shaped. It is 8-18 cm long. It has 10 veins spreading out from the base. The male flowers are slender. They are on a stalk 3-7 cm long. The female flowers are small. The fruit is fleshy with a hard stone inside. It is oval and red. It is 9 mm long by 8 mm wide.
There are about 60 Stephania species. They occur in the tropics and subtropics. The roots are used in medicine. The tuberous root contains isocorydine.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in the forest in Yunnan in China at about 1000 m altitude.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, China, Indochina, Myanmar, SE Asia
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Root