Asarum petelotii O.C.Schmidt

 Asarum petelotii O.C.Schmidt, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 11: 100 (1931).

Asarum petelotii O.C.Schmidt; Photos Hoang Thanh Son

Vietnamese name: 

Tế tân petelot 

Chinese name: 

黄花狸藻 huang hua li zao

English name: 

Latin name: 

Asarum petelotii O.C.Schmidt

Family: 

Aristolochiaceae

Synonym name:

No synonyms are recorded for this name.

Description: 

Herbs. Rhizomes horizontal, 3-4 mm in diam., internodes 6-8 cm. Leaves solitary; petiole 8-23 cm, glabrous; leaf blade uniformly colored, narrowly ovate, triangular-ovate, or oblong-hastate, 13-21 × 6.5-13 cm, abaxial surface pubescent along veins then glabrescent, adaxial surface glabrous, base auriculate or hastate, lateral lobes divaricate, ca. 7 × 6 cm, apex long acuminate; cataphylls ovate-lanceolate, ca. 1.6 × 0.5 cm. Peduncle ascending, 3-5 cm. Calyx purple or greenish purple, urceolate-rotate, 4-5 × 4-5 cm; sepals connate beyond attachment to ovary, abaxially glabrous; tube cylindric, asymmetrically inclined to one side, 3-5 × 1.5-2 cm, slightly constricted at throat, adaxially longitudinally ribbed with rows of papillae, orifice ring inconspicuous; lobes broadly ovate, ca. 2 × 2.5 cm, middle with semirounded purplish area, base with papillae, these forming vertical rows extending basally. Stamens 12; filaments much shorter than anthers; connectives slightly extended beyond anthers, ligulate. Ovary half-inferior. Styles free, apex 2-fid; stigmas lateral. 

Flower and fruid season: 

Flowering Feb-May 

Distribution: 

This species is distributed in Yunnan (China) and VietNam. In VietNam, it found in Lào Cai (Sa Pa) và Vĩnh Phúc (Tam Đảo).

Ecological: 

Forests, mountain slopes, moist shady areas; at elevations of 1000-1600 m.

Chemistry: 

Esential oil yield from Asarum petelotii leaves, stem and roots was 0.002% (by air dry material). Essential oil was analyzed by GC/MS and 25 components of esential oil were identified. Major component were myristicine (59.06%) and dilapiole (17.67%).

Uses: 

In VietNam:  The roots and rhizomes of Asarum petelotii are used as cough medicine, sore throat, and alcohol soaked flowers as tonics.

Reference: 

- theplantlist.org

- efloras.org

- ipni.org

- flowgrow.de

- Tran Huy Thai et al. (2013), Chemical composition of essential oil from some species of Asarum L. genus in VietNam; Journal of Biology, 35 (1): 55-60