Stephania

Stephania
Stephania cephalantha
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Menispermaceae
Subfamily: Menispermoideae
Genus: Stephania
Lour.
Type species
Stephania rotunda
Lour.
Synonyms
  • Byrsa Noronha
  • Clypea Blume
  • Homocnemia Miers
  • Ileocarpus Miers
Female flowers of Stephania delavayi

Stephania is a genus of flowering plants in the family Menispermaceae. It includes 70 species native to tropical and southern Africa, eastern and southern Asia, Australia, and the tropical Pacific Islands. They are herbaceous perennial vines, growing to around four metres tall, with a large tuber. The leaves are arranged spirally on the stem and are peltate, with the leaf petiole attached near the centre of the leaf. The name Stephania comes from the Greek word for 'crown'. It refers to the anthers being arranged in a crown-like manner.

Species

As of May 2026, Plants of the World Online accepts the following 70 species:

Fossil species
Formerly placed here

Toxicity

There is evidence that a few species of Stephania are toxic.: 380 

Chemistry

Chemical investigation of Stephania rotunda Lour. growing in Vietnam in 2005 led to the isolation and structural elucidation of three new alkaloids, 5-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxy-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-1(2H)-one, thaicanine 4-O-beta-D-glucoside, as well as (−)-thaicanine N-oxide (4-hydroxycorynoxidine), along with 23 known alkaloids.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Stepahnia Lour". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 Loureiro, João de (1790). Flora cochinchinensis. Vol. 2. p. 608.
  3. ↑ Foreman, L.L. (2022). "Stepahnia Lour". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Stephania Lour". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Botryodiscia tetrandra (S.Moore) L.Lian & Wei Wang". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Semwal, Deepak Kumar; Badoni, Ruchi; Semwal, Ravindra; Kothiyal, Sudhir Kumar; Singh, Gur Jas Preet; Rawat, Usha (2010). "The genus Stephania (Menispermaceae): Chemical and pharmacological perspectives". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 132 (2): 369–383. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2010.08.047. PMID 20801207.
  7. ↑ Thuy, T. T; Porzel, A.; Franke, K.; Wessjohann, L.; Sung, T. V. (September 2005). "Isoquinolone and protoberberine alkaloids from Stephania rotunda". Die Pharmazie. 60 (9): 701–704. PMID 16222872.