Stephania

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A genus of tropical climbing vines in the moonseed family, often used in traditional medicine ; a feminine first name of Greek origin, a variant of Stephanie
2. Climbing herbaceous plants of tropical Asia and Africa belonging to the moonseed family ; a female given name derived from the Greek word for crown
3. A group of tropical woody climbers valued in herbal medicine ; a feminine personal name borne by people in many European and English-speaking countries

Etymology: The name comes from Greek "stephanos," meaning "crown" or "wreath," a word that also gave English "stephanotis." The genus was named for the crown-like arrangement of parts in its small flowers, which are gathered into tight clusters and fused in a ring. The plants themselves are climbers from warm regions of Asia, Africa, and Australia, and they wind around other vegetation with long stalks.