Taxon: Dorstenia contrajerva L.

Summary

Genus:

Dorstenia

Family:

Moraceae

Tribe:

Dorstenieae

Nomen number:

431135

Place of publication:

Sp. pl. 1:121. 1753

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

02/25/2003 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

1 (0 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Balick, M. J. et al. 2000. Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize, with common names and uses. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 85
Berg, C. C. & M. E. E. Hijman. 1999. The genus Dorstenia (Moraceae). Ilicifolia 2:71-72.
Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs Note: = Dorstenia contrayerba
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Harling, G. & B. Sparre, eds. 1973-. Flora of Ecuador.
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Missouri Botanical Garden. W³Tropicos (on-line resource).
Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Stevens, W. D. et al., eds. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85(1-3).

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	snakewort	1	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
French	herbe aux serpents	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
French	herbe chapeau	2	Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
French	racine de charchis	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
German	Bezoarwurz	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
German	Schlangenwurz	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Spanish	contra de cobra	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Spanish	contrahierba	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Spanish	contrayerba	2	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Spanish	hierba de sapo	2	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Swedish	besoarrot	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Chihuahua
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	San Luis Potosí
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sonora
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche	Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas	Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Hidalgo
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Puebla
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Quintana Roo	Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco	Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán	Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Grenada		Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Guadeloupe		Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Martinique		Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Vincent and Grenadines		Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico	Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize		Balick, M. J. et al. 2000. Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize, with common names and uses. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 85
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica		Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador		Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala		Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras		Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua		Stevens, W. D. et al., eds. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85(1-3).
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama		Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela		Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia		Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador	Guayas	Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador	Manabí	Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru	San Martín	Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia		Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia		Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6

Native
Northern America

NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Chihuahua, San Luis Potosí, Sonora]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Guadeloupe, Grenada, Martinique, United States [Puerto Rico], St. Vincent and Grenadines
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Venezuela
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia, Ecuador [Guayas, Manabí], Peru [San Martín]

Cultivated
Asia-Tropical

MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia

Reference(s)

Balick, M. J. et al. 2000. Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize, with common names and uses. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 85
Berg, C. C. 2001. Moreae, Artocarpeae, and Dorstenia (Moraceae) with introductions to the family and Ficus and with additions and corrections to Flora Neotropica Monograph 7. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 83:198.
Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
Liogier, H. A. 1984-. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
Stevens, W. D. et al., eds. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85(1-3).

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Food additives	flavoring		Balick, M. J. et al. 2000. Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize, with common names and uses. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 85
Human food	beverage base		Balick, M. J. et al. 2000. Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize, with common names and uses. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 85
Medicines	folklore		Stevens, W. D. et al., eds. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85(1-3).
Medicines	folklore		Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Medicines	folklore		Balick, M. J. et al. 2000. Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize, with common names and uses. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 85
Medicines	folklore		McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Medicines	folklore	as Dorstenia contrayerba	Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs Note: = Dorstenia contrayerba

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=431135. Accessed 12 May 2026.