Chloranthus fortunei

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Chloranthus koreanus
• Tricercandra fortunei
• Saintlegeria gracilis
• Chloranthus fortunei var. koreanus
• Chloranthus japonicus var. koreanus

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta within the class Equisetopsida. As a member of the subclass Magnoliidae, it is placed in the order Chloranthales and the family Chloranthaceae. Ultimately, it is categorized under the genus Chloranthus.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse geographical distribution across several key regions of East Asia. In China, it can be found spanning from the North-Central provinces to the Southeast regions. Its presence is also noted within the South-Central parts of the country. Furthermore, the species extends southward to include the tropical island of Hainan. Beyond mainland China, the plant is also naturally distributed within Japan.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Chloranthus fortunei is characterized by its specific altitudinal distribution within its natural habitat. This species typically thrives in low-to-mid elevation environments, maintaining a distinct elevational range that fluctuates based on local topography. The plant is most frequently found at a mean elevation of 255 m AMSL, though its presence spans a vertical gradient starting from a minimum of 170 m AMSL and extending up to a maximum of 340 m AMSL. This specific range suggests an ecological preference for relatively low-altitude terrain, where environmental conditions such as temperature and moisture levels remain consistent with these specific altitudinal parameters.

Elevational range max:

340 m AMSL

Elevational range mean:

255 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

170 m AMSL

Life history

The life history of Chloranthus fortunei is characterized by its nature as a perennial herb, meaning it persists through multiple growing seasons rather than completing its life cycle in a single year. As a perennial species, it maintains a stable presence in its natural habitat, often relying on underground rhizomatous structures to survive dormant periods and re-emerge during favorable environmental conditions. This life cycle allows the plant to establish a more permanent footprint in the forest understory, where it can accumulate resources over several years to support its reproductive phases. Unlike annuals or biennials that face a complete life cycle completion after flowering, Chloranthus fortunei undergoes repeated cycles of vegetative growth and seasonal flowering, ensuring long-term survival and the ability to colonize its niche through both seed production and clonal expansion via its rhizomes.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Chloranthus fortunei is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb, functioning as a self-supporting plant rather than a climber or liana. It is an independent species that does not exhibit parasitic or epiphytic behavior, maintaining a strictly terrestrial existence. In terms of stature, the plant is relatively small, with a height that typically ranges from a minimum of 0.15 m to a maximum of 0.4 m, resulting in an average plant height of approximately 0.275 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

0.4 m

Plant height mean:

0.275 m

Plant height min:

0.15 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiological profile of the foliage in Chloranthus fortunei is characterized by a distinct range of morphological dimensions that reflect its vegetative development. The leaves exhibit significant variability in size, with a mean leaf length of 8 cm and a minimum length of 5 cm, reaching a maximum potential length of 11 cm. Complementing this longitudinal variation is a corresponding breadth in leaf width, which maintains a mean of 5 cm. The width of the leaves fluctuates between a minimum of 3 cm and a maximum of 7 cm, indicating a flexible leaf architecture that supports its metabolic and photosynthetic requirements within its natural habitat.

Leaf length max:

11 cm

Leaf length mean:

8 cm

Leaf length min:

5 cm

Leaf width max:

7 cm

Leaf width mean:

5 cm

Leaf width min:

3 cm

Reproduction

The reproduction of Chloranthus fortunei is characterized by the development of small, uniform fruits and exceptionally lightweight seeds. The fruit produced by this species is consistently small, maintaining a mean length of 0.3 cm, which is also its minimum and maximum recorded length. Within these fruits, the seeds are remarkably minute and uniform in weight; the seed mass remains constant at a mean, minimum, and maximum value of 0.00098 g. This high level of consistency in both fruit dimension and seed mass suggests a highly standardized reproductive output for the species.

Fruit length max:

0.3 cm

Seed mass mean:

0.00098 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Chloranthus fortunei has 1 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Henriol D.

Henriol D

1. Journal of Asian natural products research

Conditions

Chloranthus fortunei has 5 reported investigations on conditions identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include cirrhosis, hepatitis, liver abscesses, liver cancer, malaria.

Cirrhosis

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Hepatitis

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Liver abscesses

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Liver cancer

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Malaria

1. Journal of natural products

Preparations

Chloranthus fortunei has 4 reported preparations identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include CFS ethanol extract, decoctions, petroleum ether extracts of CFS, whole plant.

Cfs ethanol extract

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Decoctions

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Petroleum ether extracts of cfs

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Whole plant

1. Journal of Asian natural products research