Stephania elegans Hook. f. & Thomson, Fl. Ind. 1: 195 1855. ;
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Common name: Elegant Tape Vine • Nepali: तारो लहरा Taro Laharaa
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China (Yunnan), Nepal, Sikkim, NE-India (Garhwal, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Nagaland, Meghalaya), N-Thailand, Bhutan, Myanmar [Burma] (widespread), ?Jammu & Kashmir as per Catalogue of Life;
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A small herbaceous climbing shrubs. Main stem spirally fluted, Branches slender, striate, slightly terete, glabrous or subglabrous. Leaves simple, alternate, peltate, deltoid-elongate or somewhat triangular, 4-12 x 3-8 cm across, base subtruncate or oblique, margin entire, apex acute to obtuse, chartaceous, thin, dark green, glabrous above and beneath, strong basal veins 5-7 towards the apex, 3-5 towards the base from the petiole, impressed above and slightly prominent beneath, petiole slender, attached about 1 cm inside the lamina from the base, about 2-4 cm long. Inflorescence axillary, somewhat drooping, fascicled, compound panicle of umbelliform cymes, peduncles about 4-7 cm long, bracts linear lanceolate, about 1-2 mm long. Flowers unisexual, light green to dark purple. Male flowers, sepals 6, obovate, glabrous, dark purple, petals obovate or ovate, glabrous, synandrium peltate, about 0.5 mm long. Female flowers, sepals 3-6, obovate, both sides glabrous, petals obovate, ovary obong, style short, stigmas 3 to 4, very small. Fruits drupes, obovoid, 7-8 x 6 x 7 cm across, shining glabrous reddish when ripe, endocarp bony, transversely grooved with longitudinal rows and tubercled, about 5 mm across.

Stephania species are dioecious i.e., male (staminate) flowers on one plant, and female (pistillate) flowers on another plant. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: August-September/March-April.

Seeds may be dispersed by zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals.
Susceptible to insect pests and moulds.
Mixed subtropical forests, altitude up to 1200-1800 m.
Local Distribution: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal. 
Global Distribution: Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal.
Used in traditional medicine. Nine alkaloids are isolated from the leaves, stems and roots they are epihernandolinol, N-methylcorydalmine, hasubanonine, aknadinine, cyclanoline, magnoflorine, isotetrandrine, isochondodendrine and cycleanine.
(Attributions- Ganeshaiah, K. N., UAS, Bangalore, India. Kailash, B. R., UAS & ATREE, Bangalore, India. Indian Bioresource Information Network (IBIN), Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi, India.

This species Stephania elegans was seen and photographed in Kali Valley, Pithoragarh District (Uttarakhand) at an altitude of about 1800m along a stream.
This species is a new addition to eFI database.

It looks really elegant! Thanks … for sharing, a new plant to me.



Ashwini Bhatia (Validation by J.M.Garg) (Inserted by J.M.Garg) (For more images & complete details, click on the links)

 

Stephania elegans ABJUL01/29 : 5 posts by 2 authors. 4 images.

Found this on the same walk slightly lower at about 1500m. I think this is a Stephania species, very likely S. elegans. Please advise.
Stephania elegansElegant Tape Vine
Below Mcleodganj, Dharamshala, HP
1500m
20 July 2016.

I think matches with image at Stephania elegans



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Stephania elegans AT MAR 2017/02 : 3 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (3)

Stephania elegans
Elegant Tape Vine
Place: Solan (H.P.)
June 2012



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Stephania elegans J. D. Hooker & Thomson ??? : 7 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (10)

Location: Godawari, Nepal
Altitude: 5000 ft.
Date: 22 June 2017

To me also appear close to images at Stephania elegans

Thank you … Nepali Name : तारो लहरा Taaro Laharaa

It is Stephania elegans



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Stephania elegans Hook. f. & Thomson : 3 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (9)

Location: Nagarkot, Nepal
Altitude: 6600 ft.
Date: 12 November 2017 
Nepali Names: तारो लहरा Taaro Laharaa / बाटुल पाते Baatul Paate 

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Location: Nagarkot, Nepal
Altitude:6600 ft.
Date: 12 December 2017 
Seeds



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Stephania japonica (Thunb.) Miers (accepted name) ??? : 5 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (9)

Location: Godawari, Nepal
Altitude: 5000 ft.
Date: 10 January 2017

I think appears close to images at Stephania japonica


Nepali Names : बाटुले पाती Baatule Paati / बाटुलपाते Baatulapaate / पाठा Paathaa / टम  बार्की Tam Barki

I am a bit confused. Could it be Stephania elegans J. D. Hooker & Thomson ???

I could not decide. Pl. check images & keys at the following:

As per The useful Plants of India (C S I R Publication), plant known as TAMBARKI in Nepal is scientifically known as Stephania glabra.

Would like to go with Stephania elegans Hook. f. & Thomson as per images herein.


FRUITS APPEAR SIMILAR BOTH IN S. elegans and S. japonica.
It can not be confirmed merely on the basis of fruits. Flowers are
clearly different in both.


Thanks, … Shape of the leaves including arrangement of nerves on the them, timing and color of the fruits are other things as per observations in other threads.


Yes, …



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Stephania elegans J. D. Hooker & Thomson : 1 post by 1 author. Attachments (8)- around 500 kb each.
Location: Nagarkot, Bhaktapur
Date: 16  May 2019
Elevation: 2020 m.
Habit : Wild 

I guess ID is correct !



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SK 2260 30 October 2019 : 5 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (4) – 281 kb, 958 kb, 2 mb & 3 mb.
Location: Phulchoki, Lalitpur 
Date: 16 September 2019
Elevation: 2409 m.
Habit : Wild
Stephania elegans Hook.f. & Thomson ??

Yes, appears close as per Stephania elegans


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SK 2633 22 June 2020 : 8 posts by 2 authors. 6 images- 5 to 7 mb each.
Location: Phulchoki, lalitpur, Nepal
Date: 19 June  2020
Altitude: 1724 m.
Habitat : Wild
Stephania sp. ??

Yes, appears so as per comparative images at Stephania
These may be female flowers of Stephania elegans Hook. f. & Thomson.
India Biodiversity Portal say:
Flowers unisexual, light green to dark purple. Male flowers, sepals 6, obovate, glabrous, dark purple, petals obovate or ovate, glabrous, synandrium peltate, about 0.5 mm long. Female flowers, sepals 3-6, obovate, both sides glabrous, petals obovate, ovary obong, style short, stigmas 3 to 4, very small.

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Bk0025 : 7 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (1)

Details..

Climber
  • Location: Bagamati province Central Nepal
  • Elevation: 1910m 
  • Date: last week of Jul 2019
Regards,

Menispermaceae..??


Stephania elegans Hook. f. & Thomson


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Stephania elegans J. D. Hooker & Thomson: 7 very high res. images.
Location: Okharpauwa, Nuwakot, Nepal
Altitude: 1700m.
Date: 11 July 2021
Habit : Wild