This member of the Aristolochiaceae family was given this name by William Botting Hemsley in 1885. It is found in valley forests in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong, growing in a rather rich soil with some water and little to some sun. The caudex can grow to 22 centimetres in diameter, the entire plant to four metres in height. The flowers are yellow with purple veins and blotches.

The genera name originated from Latin Aristatus; 'awnes' for the awn-like leaf tips, OR, more likely: 'best birth';  as AristoTheophrastus  describes it use at childbirth. The species name after J. Westland; inspector at the royal garden in Hamburg.