ARISTOLO'CHIA, a genus of plants of the natural order aristolockiaceee or asarineat. This order, which is dicotyledonous or exogenous, consists of herbaceous plants or shrubs, often climbing shrubs, and contains upwards of 130 known species, chiefly natives of warm climates, and particularly abundant in the tropical regions of South America. The leaves are alternate, simple, stalked, often with a stipule; the flowers axil lary, solitary, hermaphrodite, of a dull color; the perianth at its base adhering to the ovary, tubular, sometimes regular, but generally very irregular; the stamens 6 to 12, epigynous (or inserted upon the ovary), distinct, or adhering to the style; the ovary is generally six-celled, with numerous ovules; the style simple, the stigmas radiating, as numerous as the cells of the ovary; the fruit dry or succulent; the seeds with a very minute embryo at the base of fleshy albumen.—The genus A. is distinguished by a tubular oblique perianth, generally inflated at the base, the mouth dilated on one side, and by stamens adherent to the style, so that it is included in the Linntran class gynan dria. The species are mostly shrubby, and natives of tropical countries, Some of them climbing to the summits of the loftiest trees. Several are found in the s. of Europe; one only, the common Brimrworrr (A. clematitis), occurs upon the continent as far n. as about lat. 50°, and is a doubtful native of England. It is a perennial plant, with erect, naked, striated stem—heart-shaped dark-green leaves on long stalks—the flowers stalked, and growing to the number of sometimes 7 together from the arils of the leaves, the tube of the perianth about 1 in. long, and of a dirty yellow color. It grows chiefly in vineyards, hedges, about the borders of fields, among rubbish, and in waste places. It has a long branching root, with an unpleasant taste and smell, which, with the roots of A. rotunda and A. Tonga, two herbaceous species, natives of the s..of Europe, was formerly much used in medicine, being regarded as of great service in eases of difficult parturition, whence the English name. These roots possess powerful stimu lating properties, and those of the southern species are still used as The root of A. indica is used in the same way by the Hindoos.—A. serpentaria, VIROLNIAN
SNAKEROOT, is a native of most parts of the United States, growing in woods. It has a flexuous stem, 8 to 10 in. high, bearing heart-shaped very acute leaves. The flowers are on stalks, which rise from the root ; the orifice of the perianth is triangular. The root has a penetrating resinous smell, and a pungent, bitter taste. It has long been a fancied remedy for the bite of the rattlesnake. It possesses stimulant and tonic proper ties. It forms an article of export from the United States to Europe, and hears a high price, being highly esteemed as a medicine in certain kinds of fever.—Its reputation as a cure for serpent-bites is shared by other species, particularly A. angu' rida and A. glide° (the guaco of Colombia), natives of the warmer parts of America. The juice has certainly the power of stupefying, and even of killing serpents; and it is said that a number of species are used by Egyptian jugglers, in order to their handling serpents with impunity.—Several South American species seem also to possess medicinal prop erties analogous to those of the Virginian eipho, a climbing shrub of 15 to 20 ft. in height, a native of the southern parts of the Allegliany mountainq, is frequently planted in the United States, in Britain, and on the continent of Europe, to form shady bowers. It has very large heart-shaped leaves (a foot in breadth), of a beautiful green. The flowers hang singly, or in pairs, on long stalks; the tube of the perianth is crooked in its upper part, inflated at the base, and veined with reddish-brown veins, having a sort of resemblance to the bowl of a tobacco-pipe, for which reason the shrub is some times called pipe-shrub, pipe-vine, or Dutchman's pipe. The tropical species are distin guished for their beauty and the peculiar forms of their flowers. Some of them are much prized ornaments of our hot-houses.
To the natural order aristolochia,cee belongs also the genus ASARII31.