What does Birthwort mean?
: any of several herbs or woody vines (genus Aristolochia of the family Aristolochiaceae, the birthwort family) with aromatic roots used in folk medicine to aid childbirth.
What is Nettlewort?
Nettlewort – Any plant of the nettle family, Urticaceae. Also, any one of a number of peltate-leaved plants.
Where does Birthwort grow?
Aristolochia clematitis, the (European) birthwort, is a twining herbaceous plant in the family Aristolochiaceae, which is native to Europe. The leaves are heart shaped and the flowers are pale yellow and tubular in form. The plant seeks light by ascending the stems of surrounding plants.
Why do plant names end in wort?
Working in the 1700’s, Linnaeus created the format for binomial nomenclature. This system identifies plants and animals by a genus and species name. Wort is a derivation of the word “wyrt,” an old English word meaning plant, root, or herb. The suffix wort was given to plants which were long considered beneficial.
Is Birthwort toxic?
The womb-like appearance of some birthwort flowers led to the belief that this plant would help treat problems of childbirth. Today, it is known that aristolochic acid is very poisonous to humans (regular ingestion of very small amounts can cause both urinary tract cancers and kidney failure).
Where is Aristolochia?
Aristolochia (English: /əˌrɪstəˈloʊkiə/) is a large plant genus with over 500 species that is the type genus of the family Aristolochiaceae. Its members are commonly known as birthwort, pipevine or Dutchman’s pipe and are widespread and occur in the most diverse climates.
Why is it called lungwort?
The name Pulmonaria arose from the foliage, which is often green with white spots, resembling a diseased lung hence the common name lungwort and the Latin translation, Pulmonaria, which became the name for the genus.
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