Snakeroot
Aristolochia rotunda
Family: Aristolochiaceae
What it is like
A medium sized herb. The stems can be 60 cm high. It has a tuberous root. It keeps growing from year to year. The leaves are oval or heart shaped. They clasp the stem. The flowers are 3-5 cm long. They are yellow with a long brown limb bent over the opening of the straight tube.
The Aristolochiaceae are mostly tropical and subtropical. There are about 500 Aristolochia species. It is used as medicine.
Where it is found
It grows in hedges and dry fields. It is often in rocky and stony places. It grows in Mediterranean countries.
Countries/locations it is found in
Albania, Australia, Europe, France, Mediterranean, Spain
How it is used for food
The starch of the root is a famine food for extending bread flour, after removing the acrid element. CAUTION: Many plants in this group are poisonous.
A famine food.
Edible parts
Root
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
English mercury, Mercury goosefoot, Round-leaved birthwort, Smearwort