Vasilis Teodoridis:
Saururaceae | Houttuynia
1. Houttuynia cordata Thunberg; Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Nya Handl. 4: 149. 1783.
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Polypara cochinchinensis Loureiro; P. cordata Kuntze.
Herbs (5-)30-60 cm high; rhizomes creeping; thin. Basal part of stems creeping; rooted in whorls at nodes; apical part erect; glabrous or pubescent on nodes; sometimes purplish red. Stipular sheath (0.5-)1-2.5 cm; 1/4-1/2 as long as petiole; usually ciliate; base enlarged and slightly clasping; petiole (0.7-) 1-3.5(-4) cm; glabrous; leaf blade broadly ovate or ovate-cordate; (1.5-)4-10 x (1.8-)2.5-6 cm; thinly papery; densely glandular; usually glabrous; sometimes pubescent at vein axils; usually purplish abaxially; base cordate; apex shortly acumi
nate; veins 5-7; basal or innermost pair arising ca. 5 mm above base; if 7-veined; then outermost pair very slender or inconspicuous; reticulate veins ± conspicuous. Inflorescences (0.4-) 1.5-2.5(-2.7) cm x (2-)5-6 mm; peduncles 1.5-3 cm; subglabrous; involucral bracts oblong or obovate; (5-)10-15 x (3-)5-7 mm; apex rounded. Bract beneath each flower linear; terete; inconspicuous. Stamens longer than ovary. Capsule 2-3 mm; with persistent styles. Fl. Apr-Sep; fr. Jun-Oct. 2n = 24*; 96.
Ravines; streamsides; forests; wet meadows; slopes; thicket and field margins; trailsides; roadsides; ditch banks; near sea level to 2500 m. Anhui; Fujian; Gansu; Guangdong; Guangxi; Guizhou; Hainan; Henan; Hubei; Hunan; Jiangxi; Shaanxi; Sichuan; Taiwan; Xizang; Yunnan; Zhejiang [Bhutan; India; Indonesia (?Java); Japan (including Ryukyu Islands); Korea; Myanmar; Nepal; Sikkim; Thailand].
Leaves used medicinally; shoots eaten as a vegetable.