Virginia snakeroot, Serpentary
Aristolochia serpentaria

Family: Aristolochiaceae

What it is like

A small herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 10-45 cm high and wide. The stems are upright and thin and zigzag. The leaves are heart-shaped and 4-15 cm long. The flowers occur singly and are brown-purple and S shaped. They are 1 cm long. The fruit is a hard capsule.

Where it is found

A temperate plant. It can tolerate frost.

Countries/locations it is found in

America, Australia, India, North America, USA

How it is used for food

The roots are dried and used to produce and essential oil used to flavour alcoholic drinks. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer.

Edible parts

Root - flavouring, spice

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. They can also be grown by division or cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Aristolochia convolvulacea Small; Aristolochia dodecandra Raf.; Aristolochia hastata Nutt.; Aristolochia nashii Nutt.; Aristolochia officinalis Nees; Aristolochia polyrrhizos Spreng.; Aristolochia sagittata Muhl.; and others