Aristolochia trilobata Linnaeus, Aristolochiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate; score: 3 (Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment for Aristolochia trilobata)

Other Latin names:  Aristolochia caracasana Spreng.; Aristolochia macroura Gomes; Aristolochia trifida Lam.; Aristolochia triloba Salisb.; Howardia surinamensis Klotzsch.; Howardia trifida (Lam.) Klotzsch

Common name(s): [more details]

Spanish: bejuco de Santiago, cachimbo, panitos

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Slightly woody vine, twining, 3-5 m in length. Stems slender, shiny, cylindrical, glabrous, pink on the younger portions. Leaves alternate; blades trilobed, 8-14 × 10-16 cm, coriaceous, the lobes shallow to quite deep, the apex rounded or obtuse, the base subcordiform or truncate, the margins entire or sinuate; upper surface dark green, shiny, glabrous, with palmate venation, somewhat sunken and yellowish; lower surface pale green, puberulous, the venation reticulate, prominent and puberulous; petioles robust, cylindrical, 2-4.5 cm long, glabrous, dilated at the base; pseudostipules rounded or reniform, 1-1.5 cm long, covering the stem. Flowers solitary, pendulous; peduncle up to 7 cm long; utricle ellipsoid, 2.5-4 cm long; tube straight, 4.5-7.5 cm long, ascending, forming an angle of 50° to 60° with the utricle; limb unilobed, greenish yellow with dark violet spots, the upper lobe with a caudate appendage, 10-31 cm long, ascending-arcuate. Capsules oblong, 6-8 cm long, with 6 longitudinal ribs; seeds numerous, membranaceous, triangular, ca. 7 mm long, compressed. Phenology: Flowering and fruiting almost throughout the year. . . . References: González, F. A. 1990. Aristolochiaceae. Flora de Colombia. 12: 1-185; Rankin Rodríguez, R., 1998." (Vines and Climbing Plants of PR/VI, p. 71)

Habitat/ecology:  "forests and coastal thickets" (Vines and Climbing Plants of PR/VI, p. 71)

Propagation:  (no propagation information known by PIER)

Native range:  South America (French Guiana; Guyana; Suriname; Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay), Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama), and the Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands) (GRIN)

See also: Vines and Climbing Plants of PR/VI, p. 71

Impacts and invaded habitats:  "United States, Hawaii, KAHOOLAWE: Puu Koae, offshore islet. Top SW peak. With Panicum fauriei, Sida, Portulaca molokiniensis, Boerhavia, Heteropogon., 70m. . . Common vine, on islet, flowers white, 100 individuals observed. NTBG acc. #950332. No voucher made." (Wood 1995)

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Pu‘u Koae (Kahoolawe)		Consortium of Pacific Herbaria (2018)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States of America United States	United States		Consortium of Pacific Herbaria (2018)

Comments:  Aristolochia trilobata Lindl. (nom. illeg.) is a synonym of Aristolochia macroura Ortega (The Plant List); Aristolochia trilobata Lam. (nom. illeg.) is a synonym of Aristolochia surinamensis Willd. (The Plant List).

Control:  If you know of control methods for Aristolochia trilobata, please let us know.