Stemona australiana

Family: Stemonaceae

What it is like

A slender climber or vine. It has fleshy tubers. It can be 15 m long. The leaves are large and heart shaped. The leaves are held out from the stems on slender leaf stalks. There are several veins which spread out from where the leaf joins the stalk. The flowers are small and produced singly or in pairs in the axils of leaves. They are dark brown or black with red patches. The fruit are small and oval capsules.

There are 30 Stemona species. They grow in Asia.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in rainforest and open forest. In tropical Queensland it grows from sea level to 115 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia (country/location of origin), Pacific, Papua New Guinea

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Root, tubers

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Roxburghia javanica var. australiana Benth.;