Herndon, VA
Herndon, VA
(pipe-shaped flower under leaves)
[ click on any image below to see larger version ]
Family: Aristolochiaceae (Birthwort family)
Mid-Atlantic bloom time:
May - June
Mid-Atlantic fruit ripe:
June - July
Virginia Snakeroot's obsure flowers are pipe-shaped. Its leaves are cordate, with 3 primary veins at their base then becoming pinnate above. Its leaf petioles are 5–35 mm long.
Virginia Snakeroot's leaves are one of the primary food sources for Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies (Battus philenor) (the other foodsource is the related Pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla)). The butterflies sequester the acids as a defense mechanism.
Virginia Snakeroot is often classified under the genus Aristolochia as A. serpentaria.
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23 May 2015
Herndon, VA
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23 May 2015
Herndon, VA (pipe-shaped flower under leaves)
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