Sinopodophyllum hexandrum (Royle) Ying

Sinopodophyllum species are perennial herbs. Rhizomes fleshy, stout, creeping and scaly at the base. Stems erect, scapigerous, unbranched. Leaves 2 rarely 3, alternate at the apex, pamately lobed and peltate, petiolate, base cordate, apex 3-5 lobed, chartaceous, herbaceous. Flowers bisexual, white or light pink, pendulous, pedicellate. Sepals 3-6, fugaceous, inner 6 petals. Stamens 6-12, anthers longitudinally dehiscing, ovary solitary superior, ellipsoid, moncarpellary, ovules many, stigma large, sessile and peltate. Fruits are many seeded berries, fleshy, red, seeds many, ovoid, reddish brown.

Sinopodophyllum species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: May-June.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals.

Erect perennial herbs, 15-45 cm tall. Stem simple, scapigerous, terete, unbranched, succulent, fleshy, smooth, glabrous. Rhizome short, horizontally creeping, scaly at the base, with dense thick fibrous roots, scales lanceolate-ovate, pale, striated, about 5 x 1-2 cm across, stem naked below with 2 alternate Leaves 2 or rarely 3, alternate, above the middle of the stem and usually 1 supra axillary flower or fruit, palmate or deeply 3 lobed, about 7-12 x 20-25 cm across, lateral lobes obliquely ovate, sometimes 2-lobed, middle lobe broadly elliptic and symmetric, all lobes toothed, acute to slightly acuminate, about 5-12 x 3-5 cm across, sessile, coarsely veined below, petiole swollen at the base, usually as long as the lobe. Flowers bisexual, white to light pink, 2-4 cm across, almost terminal in bud but becoming drooping in fruit, peduncle about 2-3 cm, suberect or ascending, somewhat thickened. Sepals 3, broadly oblong, caducous, petaloid. Petals 3-6, obovate-oblong, about 2-3 x 1-1.5 cm across. Stamens usually 6-12, about half as long as the petals, filaments slightly flattened, anthers oblong, dehiscing longitudinally, about 3 mm long. Fruits are several seeded berries ovoid or ellipsoid, about 2-4 x 1.5-2.5 across, scarlet or red, fleshy, narrowed below the stigma, seeds, reddish brown, obovoid or suborbicular, about 2-3 mm across.

Sinopodophyllum species are susceptible to insect pests, powdery mildews and rusts.

Subtropical to temperate open forests, altitude 2500-4000 m.

Critically Endangered (ENVIS Centre for Medicinal Plants, FRLHT) / Not evaluated (IUCN).

Used in ayurvedic medicine. Podophyllotoxin in extracted in laboratory, which is used for synthesis of anticancer drugs used for curing testicular and lung cancers.