Stephania pierrei (syn.: Stephania erecta)

Stephania erecta ...doesn't exist. At least, the name is dubious. Of course, this plant exists, but it's probably correct to call it Stephania pierrei , not S. erecta . This name is very dubious. It only appears once, in a "Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information" from the Royal Botanical Society at Kew Gardens. No further information can be found, no description or location details, only "Siam" was mentioned, meaning basically all of Southeast Asia.

Stephania pierrei, on the other hand, is well-documented, and this is precisely the species we are dealing with here. How the completely obscure and incorrect name Stephania erecta ever became so popular is utterly baffling to us.

Stephania pierrei is a caudex-forming plant native to northern Thailand. It has an interesting life cycle. During the monsoon season, it develops a long tendril from its caudex, bearing beautiful, circular, peltate leaves. At the beginning of the dry season, this tendril dies back, and the plant survives the dry months as a leafless caudex. The cycle then begins again with the next monsoon. In our temperate climate, it typically grows during the summer and sheds its tendril in autumn or winter.



Supplied in a 14 cm round pot. Caudex diameter approx. 6 to 9 cm. Actively growing plants, not dormant caudex!

The shape of the caudex and tendril may differ slightly from the product images.