Stephania japonica (Thunb.) Miers, Menispermaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: qian jin teng

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Vines, glabrous or pubescent. Root woody, not tuberous, brownish yellow. Stems slender, slightly woody when old, sometimes prostrate and rooting at nodes. Petiole 3-12 cm; leaf blade conspicuously peltate, usually triangular-rotund or broadly triangular-ovate to rotund, 5-12 (-15) cm, as wide as or slightly wider than long, papery to thinly leathery, abaxially glabrous or hirsute, often glaucous, adaxially glossy, base usually broadly rounded, apex with a finely mucronate acumen, palmately 8-11-veined, raised abaxially, reticulation slightly raised, conspicuous. Inflorescences compound umbelliform cymes, usually axillary, rarely 2 or few on short axillary branches; peduncle to 6 cm; rays often very short, umbellet very condensed, headlike; axes glabrous or pubescent; pedicels almost absent. Male flowers: sepals 6 or 8 in 2 whorls, membranous, yellowish green, oblanceolate or obovate-elliptic to spatulate or narrowly elliptic, 1-1.5 mm, glabrous or pubescent; petals 3 or 4, slightly fleshy, yellow, broadly obovate to rotund, 0.5-1 mm, glabrous, rarely apex slightly concave; synandrium 0.5-1 mm, exserted or not, anthers 6. Female flowers: sepals 3 or 4, shape and size as in male or smaller; petals 3 or 4, shape and size as in male or slightly smaller; carpel ovoid, stigma lacerate. Infructescences with hard and slightly curved umbellet pedicels. Drupes red, obovate to subglobose, 6-8 mm; endocarp 5-6 mm, abaxially ornamented with 10 or slightly more rows of transvers ridges; condyle perforate or not"  (Flora of China 7, 2008; p. 19).

var. timoriensis (Candolle) Forman:  "Stems glabrous. Petiole usually shorter than or subequal to leaf blade; leaf blade abaxially glabrous except sometimes near petiole. Peduncle 1.5-6 cm; inflorescence axes pubescent. Male flowers: sepals spatulate-oblong to narrowly elliptic, glabrous. Drupes obovoid, 6-7 mm; condyle perforate"  (Flora of China 7, 2008; p. 19).

Habitat/ecology:  "Village margins, shrublands, open forests, forest margins, limestone mountains"  (Flora of China 7, 2008; p. 19).  In Hawai‘i, "the species has spread well beyond the original planting at Waimea Botanical Garden and is reportedly established beyond the garden's ability to control, given current resources"  (Frohlich & Lau, 2007; p. 12).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Eastern and southeastern Asia, Australia (GRIN). Var. timorensis indigenous to some Pacific islands (Smith, 1981; p. 149).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa American Samoa Islands	American Samoa Islands	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 149) var. timoriensis (Candolle) Forman as Stephania forsteri (DC.) A. Gray.
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2013)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Fatu Hiva Island	native	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013) var. timoriensis (DC.)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Fatu Hiva Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) var. timoriensis (A.P. de Candolle) J. Florence. Vouchers cited: B.G. Decker 2455 (PAP), J. Florence, D.H. Lorence & W.L. Wagner 9499 (PAP)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Hiva Oa Island	native	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013) var. timoriensis (DC.)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Hiva Oa Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	native	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013) var. timoriensis (DC.)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 8408 (PAP)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2002) (voucher ID: PTBG 41664) Taxon name on voucher: Stephania japonica (Thunb.) Miers var. timoriensis (DC.) Forman
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Tahuata (Tuhuata) Island	native	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013) var. timoriensis (DC.)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Tahuata (Tuhuata) Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Huka (Huahuna, Uahuka) Island	native	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013) var. timoriensis (DC.)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Huka (Huahuna, Uahuka) Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) var. timoriensis (A.P. de Candolle) J. Florence. Voucher cited: B.G. Decker 1980 (PAP)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Pou (Huapu, Uapou, Uapu) Island	native	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013) var. timoriensis (DC.)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Pou (Huapu, Uapou, Uapu) Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2013)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2007) (p. 12) Voucher cited: D. Frohlich & A. Lau s.n. (BISH 725945)
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2013)
New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea) New Guinea Island	New Guinea Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (pp. 149-150) In thickets and forests at low and medium altitudes.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Western Samoa Islands	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 149) var. timoriensis (Candolle) Forman as Stephania forsteri (DC.) A. Gray.
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 149) var. timoriensis (Candolle) Forman as Stephania forsteri (DC.) A. Gray.
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Ha‘apai Islands	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 45) var. timoriensis (Candolle) Forman as Stephania forsteri (DC.) A. Gray. Vouchers cited: Yuncker 15823, Buelow 336
Tonga Tonga Islands	Tonga Islands	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 149) var. timoriensis (Candolle) Forman as Stephania forsteri (DC.) A. Gray.
Tonga Tongatapu Group	‘Eua Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 45) var. timoriensis (Candolle) Forman as Stephania forsteri (DC.) A. Gray. Vouchers cited: Parks 16012, Parks 16278, Parks 16363, Parks 16387, Yuncker 15544, Soakai 342, Sykes 100, Whistler 5012, Whistler 5971, Whistler 6514
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 45) var. timoriensis (Candolle) Forman as Stephania forsteri (DC.) A. Gray. Vouchers cited: USEE s.n., Buelow 55, Whistler 6671
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 45) var. timoriensis (Candolle) Forman as Stephania forsteri (DC.) A. Gray. Vouchers cited: Harvey s.n., Crosby s.n., Yuncker 16115, Hotta 5057, Buelow 850, Buelow 929
Vanuatu New Hebrides Islands	Vanuatu (Republic of)	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 149) var. timoriensis (Candolle) Forman as Stephania forsteri (DC.) A. Gray.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) "Village margins, shrublands, open forests, forest margins, limestone mountains".
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Japan Japan	Japan	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Comments:  While this species is native to parts of Melanesia and Polynesia, it is invasive in Hawai‘i and should not be introduced to islands where it is not naturally present.

Control:  If you know of control methods for Stephania japonica, please let us know.