Stephania japonica(Thunb.) Miers

snake vine

WFO wfo-0001083818 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Stephania japonica, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. a Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2022-06-13 / obs. 205712200
Stephania japonica, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. b Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 205080913
Stephania japonica, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. c Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 203456182
Stephania japonica, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. d Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 202361517
Stephania japonica, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. e Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 201191748
Stephania japonica, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. f Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 195871902
Stephania japonica, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. g Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 195458175
Stephania japonica, photographed by Greg Tasney
fig. h Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 194882758

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 39 botanical countries

Regions where Stephania japonica is native: China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Japan, Korea, Nansei-shoto, Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, East Himalaya, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Philippines, Solomon Is., Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam, New South Wales, Norfolk Is., Northern Territory, Queensland, Marquesas, New Caledonia, Samoa, Society Is., Tonga, Vanuatu China South-CentralChina SoutheastHainanJapanAssamBangladeshBorneoCambodiaEast HimalayaIndiaJawaLaosLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNepalNew GuineaPhilippinesSolomon Is.Sri LankaSulawesiSumateraThailandVietnamNew South WalesNorthern TerritoryQueenslandNew Caledonia KoreaNansei-shotoAndaman Is.Nicobar Is.Norfolk Is.MarquesasSamoaSociety Is.TongaVanuatu
Native distribution of Stephania japonica, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Assam ASS
Bangladesh BAN
Borneo BOR
Cambodia CBD
East Himalaya EHM
India IND
Jawa JAW
Laos LAO
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
Nepal NEP
New Guinea NWG
Nicobar Is. NCB
Philippines PHI
Solomon Is. SOL
Sri Lanka SRL
Sulawesi SUL
Sumatera SUM
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
China South-Central CHC ASIA-TEMPERATE
China Southeast CHS
Hainan CHH
Japan JAP
Korea KOR
Nansei-shoto NNS
Marquesas MRQ PACIFIC
New Caledonia NWC
Samoa SAM
Society Is. SCI
Tonga TON
Vanuatu VAN
New South Wales NSW AUSTRALASIA
Norfolk Is. NFK
Northern Territory NTA
Queensland QLD

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Also published as 44 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Cissampelos glabra Buch.-Ham. ex Wight & Arn.
  • Cissampelos hernandiifolia Willd.
  • Cissampelos hexandra Roxb.
  • Clypea consummata Miers
  • Clypea discolor Blume
  • Clypea effusa Miers
  • Clypea forsteri (DC.) Miers
  • Clypea glaucescens Decne.
  • Clypea hernandiifolia (Willd.) Wight & Arn.
  • Clypea longa G.Don
  • Clypea oxyphylla Miers
  • Clypea subovata Miers
  • Cocculus finlaysonianus Wall.
  • Cocculus forsteri DC.
  • Cocculus japonicus (Thunb.) DC.
  • Cocculus japonicus var. timoriensis DC.
  • Cocculus roxburghianus DC.
  • Menispermum japonicum Thunb.
  • Menispermum peltatum J.R.Forst. ex DC.
  • Stephania appendiculata Miers
  • Stephania appendiculata Miers
  • Stephania australis Miers
  • Stephania australis A.Gray
  • Stephania concinna Miers

and 20 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.