BIRTHWORT

Aristolochia sp. (Aristolochiaceae)
Location: United States

The Aristolochiaceae are a family of herbaceous or woody
climbers or shrubs. Both the family name (Greek for ‘best for
childbirth’) and the common name (‘birthworts’) refer to the fact
that, from the classical to the late medieval period, women drank
the juice from the stems to stimulate uterine contractions and
help expel the placenta. However, modern research has shown
that the roots and stems contain high levels of aristolochic acid,
which is carcinogenic and damages the kidneys. The genus
Aristolochia is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics.
Their flowers emit a smell to attract pollinating insects such as
carrion flies, which are then trapped by hairs inside the floral
tube. They are released only when the hairs wither at the end of
the day, by which time they are covered in pollen and ready to
visit another flower. The specimen shown here is an unopened
fruit.