Tag: Rhizome

Berberis Jaeschkeana

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Botanical Name :Berberis jaeschkeana
Family : Berberidaceae
Subfamily: Berberidoideae
Tribe: Berberideae
Subtribe: Berberidinae.

Genus : Berberis

Habitat: E. Asia – Himalayas in Kashmir. Found at elevations of 2,700 – 4,000 metres in the Himalayas.

Description:
A decidious Shrub growing to 0.75m.
It is hardy to zone 0. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile.

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The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Cultivation
Prefers a warm moist loamy soil and light shade but it is by no means fastidious, succeeding in thin, dry and shallow soils. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Plants can be pruned back quite severely, they resprout well from the base. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus.

Propagation
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, when it should germinate in late winter or early spring . Seed from over-ripe fruit will take longer to germinate whilst stored seed may require cold stratification and should be sown in a cold frame as early in the year as possible[80]. The seedlings are subject to damping off, so should be kept well ventilated. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame. If growth is sufficient, it can be possible to plant them out into their permanent positions in the autumn, but generally it is best to leave them in the cold frame for the winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season’s growth, preferably with a heel, October/November in a frame.

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Fruit.( raw or cooked.)

Medicinal Actions & Uses
Antibacterial; Cancer.

Berberine, universally present in rhizomes of Berberis species, has marked antibacterial effects. Since it is not appreciably absorbed by the body, it is used orally in the treatment of various enteric infections, especially bacterial dysentery. It should not be used with Glycyrrhiza species (Liquorice) because this nullifies the effects of the berberine. Berberine has also shown antitumour activity.

Other Uses:
Dye. : A yellow dye is obtained from the root.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Berberis+jaeschkeana
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Berberis_jaeschkeana

Tags 21st century, Aerial root, Assam, Berberis, Cold frame, Flower, Germination, Himalayas, Loam, PH, Plant, Rhizome, Soil, Soil pH, Soil science, Soil test

Herbs & Plants

Aspidistra

Botanical Name :Aspidistra elatior
Family: Convallariaceae/Ruscaceae
Genus : Aspidistra
Synonyms : Aspidistra lurida – Ker-Gawl.
Common Name : Cast-iron Plant
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asparagales
Species: A. elatior

Habitat :Although sometimes thought to be of Chinese origin, the species is in fact native to islands in southern Japan including Kuroshima, Suwanosejima and the Uji Islands. It occurs in association with overstorey species such as Ardisia sieboldii and Castanopsis sieboldii E. Asia – Japan – Kuroshima, Suwanose, and Uji Islands. An understory plant, found growing in forests beneath Ardisia crenata and Castanopsis sieboldii. Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Ground Cover;

Description:
Aspidistra elatior is a rhizomatous perennial. It is a stemless plant to 1 metre in height with dark green leaves. Small, solitary purplish flowers may appear at the base of the plant in spring.
It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower from January to April. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Slugs, snails.

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Aspidistra elatior is a staple of the shade garden. It has wide, evergreen leaves that rise up from tough, rhizomatous roots. The lance shaped leaves are dark green and leathery, and around 12-20 in (30-50 cm) long. The aspect of cast-iron plant is decidedly vertical. Some types of aspidistra are variegated with creamy streaks or dots; some are shorter than the species. The plants spread in clumps, vigorously but at a moderate enough rate not to be invasive or even troublesome. The flowers are borne close to the ground and never even seen unless one deliberately searches for them.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Medicinal Uses
Febrifuge; Styptic; Tonic.

The roots, stems and leaves are febrifuge, styptic and tonic. Strengthens bones and muscles. A decoction of the root, stems or leaves is used in the treatment of abdominal cramps, amenorrhoea, diarrhoea, myalgia, traumatic injuries and urinary stones.

Other Uses:
Ground cover.
Aspidistras can be grown as a ground cover in a shady position.

Aspidistra is often grown in a container as a porch or patio plant, or as a house plant. In landscapes, it can be used as a border or be planted in a drift around trees, or to fill a planter under an overhang. In his North Florida garden, Steve has a stand of them growing in almost total shade at the base of a large live oak tree. Florists use the leaves in arrangements, where they lend drama and provide an excellent background for flowers. The leaves of cast-iron plant are especially long lasting in arrangements.

Cultivation :
Prefers a shady position in a rich well-drained soil. Tolerates poor soils and drought. Almost hardy in Britain[1], plants can withstand temperatures down to about -15°c if they are well sited. A plant growing under shrubs in Worcestershire has survived in the garden for over 30 years. This plant used to be commonly grown as a house plant, it tolerates considerable neglect.

Propagation:
Seed – sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on for at least their first winter in the greenhouse. Plant them out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Division as the plant comes into growth in the spring. Suckers. Best removed in the autumn and grown on in the greenhouse for the first winter.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Aspidistra+elatior
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspidistra_elatior
http://www.floridata.com/ref/a/aspi_ela.cfm
http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week078.shtml
http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week078.shtml

Tags Agriculture, Ambrosia beetle, Amino acid, Animal, Aspidistra elatior, Bacteria, Banyan, Bayan Muna, Evergreen, Flower, Forest, Garden, Kingdom (biology), Plant, Rhizome, Soil, Watt

Herbs & Plants

Alpine Leek(Allium victorialis)

Post author By Mukul
Post date March 30, 2010
No Comments on Alpine Leek(Allium victorialis)

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Botanical Name : Allium victorialis
Family : Alliaceae
Genus : Allium

Synonyms:-
Homotypic
Cepa victorialis (L.) Moench, Methodus: 243. 1794.
Loncostemon victoriale (L.) Raf., Fl. Tellur. 2: 21. 1837.
Geboscon lanceolatum Raf., Autik. Bot.: 59. 1840.
Geboscon triphylum Raf., Autik. Bot.: 59. 1840), nom. illeg.
Berenice victorialis (L.) Salisb., Gen. Pl.: 90. 1866), nom. inval.
Anguinum victorialis (L.) Fourr., Ann. Soc. Bot. Lyon, n.s., 17: 160. 1869.

Heterotypic
Allium anguinum Bubani, Fl. Pyren. 4: 87. 1902.
Allium convallarifolium Pall. ex Ledeb., Fl. Ross. 4: 184. 1852.
Allium longibulbum Dulac, Fl. Hautes-Pyrénées: 110. 1867.
Allium plantagineum Lam., Fl. Franç. 3: 262. 1778.
Allium plantaginense Willk. & Lange, Prodr. Fl. Hispan. 1: 211. 1862.
Allium reticulatum St.-Lag., Ann. Soc. Bot. Lyon 7: 119. 1880, nom. illeg.

Vernacular names:-
Deutsch: Allermannsharnisch
Magyar: Gy?zedelmes v. havasi hagyma
Svenska: Segerlök

Habitat : Europe – Mediterranean to Russia, China, Japan and Korea. Rocky and stony places in mountains, usually on calcareous soils. Forests, shady and moist slopes, pastures and streamsides at elevations of 600 – 2500 metres in China. Cultivated Beds;

Description:–
Bulb growing to 0.6m.
It is hardy to zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf from November to July, in flower in May, and the seeds ripen from June to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, insects.

You may click to see more pictures:

Bulb cylindrical, 4-6 cm long; coat reticulate fibrous. Leaves 3-6, petiolate, broadly lanceolate to oval, 10-20 cm long, 4-6 cm broad, shorter than the scape. Pedicels 1-2 cm long. Tepals white to yellow-white, c. 5 mm long, oblong, acute to obtuse. Filaments longer than the tepals, entire, outer narrower, subulate, inner broader, lanceolate. Style exserted. Seeds almost spherical.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Cultivation :-
Requires a sunny position in a light well-drained soil. The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply. Most members of this genus are intolerant of competition from other growing plants. Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

Propagation:–
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse or cold frame. It germinates quickly and can be grown on in the greenhouse for the first year, planting out the dormant bulbs in the late summer of the following year if they have developed sufficiently, otherwise grow on in pots for a further year. Stored seed can be sown in spring in a greenhouse. Division in summer after the plants have died down. Fairly easy, though we have found that it is best to pot up the divisions until they are growing away strongly before planting them out into their permanent positions.

Edible Uses:-
Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves; Root.

Bulb – raw or cooked. An onion substitute. The plants are as pungent as garlic. The bulbs are rather small, about 10 – 20mm in diameter, and are produced in clusters on a short rhizome. Leaves – raw or cooked. The stems and leaves are eaten, they are much favoured in Japan. Flowers – raw or cooked.

Medicinal Actions & Uses:-
Antiscorbutic; Carminative; Diuretic; Vermifuge; Women’s complaints.

The root is antiscorbutic, carminative, diuretic and vermifuge. Used in the treatment of profuse menstruation.

Other Uses:-
Repellent.

The juice of the plant is used as a moth repellent. The whole plant is said to repel insects and moles.

Resources:
http://www.plantbuzz.com/Allium/Gallery/summer/im_victorialis_Kemerovo.htm
http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Allium_victorialis
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Allium+victorialis
http://www.eol.org/pages/1085098?expertise=middle

Tags Allium, China, Flower, Garden, Leaf shape, Plant, Rhizome, Seed

Herbs & Plants

Aconitum Palmatum

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Botanical Name :Aconitum bisma
Family : Ranunculaceae
Common English Name : Crowfoot
Sanskrit Name: Prativisha
Hindi Name : Bakhma
Genus : Aconitum
Habitat: E. Asia – Himalayas in Nepal, Sikkim and south Tibet. Alpine regions between 3,000 and 5,000 metres. Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade;

Desciption:
It is biennial & Perennial herb with tuberous and paired roots. The mother root is often dry and cylindrical and the daughter root varies from shortly conical to long cylindrical. It’s external surface is somewhat smooth and light brown.The leaves of the orbicular –cordate to reniform with a very wide shallow sinus. Flowers are greenish blue in few flower panicles. The follicles are 2.5-3.0 cm long. Thew seeds are blakish, obovoid, obscurely winged along the raphe and transversly lamellate. It is hardy to zone 0. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.

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Roots, biennial, paired, tuberous; conical or cylindrical 4-10 cm long, 0.75-3 cm thick.

Stem erect. Leaves scattered, upto 10, the lowest usually withered at the time of flowering, glabrous, or the upper most finely pubescent on the nerves below; petiole slender 4-10 cm long; blade orbicular-cordate to reniform , 3-lobed. Inflorescence a very loose, leafy panicle or raceme, 10-20 cm long. Sepals bluish or variegated white and blue, uppermost helmet-shaped. Carpels 5, sub contagious in the flower. Follicles sub contagious or some what diverging in the upper part, oblong, obliquely truncate, 2.5-3 cm long and 5-6 mm broad. Seeds blackish, ovoid, about 3 mm long, round in Cross section…

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.
Cultivation :
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Thrives in most soils and in the light shade of trees. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist soil in sun or semi-shade. Prefers a calcareous soil. Grows well in open woodlands. Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits and deer. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby species, especially legumes.

Propagation:
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can be stratified and sown in spring but will then be slow to germinate. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer. Division – best done in spring but it can also be done in autumn. Another report says that division is best carried out in the autumn or late winter because the plants come into growth very early in the year.

Chemical Constituents: The root contains five diterpene alkoloids, viz Palmatisine (C34 H33 NO2).
(i) A. heterophyllum—

Atidine , hetisine, heteratisine ,Diterpene alkaloids , heterophylline, heterophylline ,heterophyllidine heterophyllisine, hetidine, atidine & ,Atisenol, a new entatisene diterpenoid lactone from roots.

F-dishydrçatisine, hetidine, hetisinone, heteratisine, hetisine, benzylleteratisine, beta —sitosterol, carotene and 3— isoatisine from rhizomes

Toxicology: One report says that this species has a non-poisonous root, though this should be treated with caution. The following notes are based on the general toxicity of the genus. The whole plant is highly toxic – simple skin contact has caused numbness in some people

Medicinal Actions & Uses :-
Antiperiodic; Tonic.
The root of this species is said to be non-toxic, though some caution should be applied to this statement. The root is antiperiodic and tonic. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism and diarrhoea.

Click to see different Ayurvedic & medicinal uses

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Aconitum+palmatum
http://www.himalayahealthcare.com/herbfinder/h_aconitum.htm
http://www.indianmedicinalplants.info/d2/index.htm

Tags Flower, Garden, Inflorescence, Leaf shape, Plant, Rhizome, Seed, Tuber

Herbs & Plants

Aconitum koreanum

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Botanical Name: Aconitum koreanum
Family : Ranunculaceae
Genus : Aconitum
Synonyms : Aconitum komarovii – Steinb.
English Name : Korean monk’s hood
Korean Name: Bag-boo-ja
Parts used : Rhizome.

Common Name: Korean monk’s hood

Habitat : Asia – Korea. Sparse shrub thickets, dry short grass meadows and on argillaceous and stony mountain slopes. Grassy areas in the mountain valleys or on slopes.

Description:
Erect, glabrous, perinial herb with thickened roots, to 1 m tall. Leaves alternate, plamately 3-5 aleft, long-petioled, petioles of upper leaves shoter, almost sesslle, leaflets deeply divided again to lanceolate, sharply acuminate. Flowers racemose at terminal, zygomorphic, pale yellow, sometimes purplish tint ; pedicels short, densely
pubescent ; sepais 5, petal-like, the upper one clearly hooded, the other flat, the lower 2 narrower than the others; petal 2, small,hidden under the hood; stames many, over 3- celled, glaborous. Fruit of 3 follcies, sharp at tip. July-Aug.

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It is hardy to zone 0. The flowers are pollinated by Bees.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Cultivation:
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by the native range of the plant it should succeed outdoors in many parts of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Thrives in most soils and in the light shade of trees[1]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist soil in sun or semi-shade. Prefers a calcareous soil. Grows well in open woodlands. Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits and deer. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby species, especially legumes.

Propagation:
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can be stratified and sown in spring but will then be slow to germinate. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer. Division – best done in spring but it can also be done in autumn. Another report says that division is best carried out in the autumn or late winter because the plants come into growth very early in the year.

Chemical Structures :->

Edible Uses:
Edible Parts: Leaves.

Young leaves – cooked. This report should be treated with great distrust due to the poisonous nature of the genus.

Medicinal Actions & Uses.
Analgesic; Cardiotonic; Uterine tonic.
The root is used in Korea to treat chills in the legs and arms and articular pain. The root contains a number of highly toxic alkaloids that can be carditoxic, causing hypotension and arrhythmia, unless they are first allowed to degrade, usually by drying the plant. The root has been shown to be analgesic, cardiac tonic, uterine stimulant.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Aconitum+koreanum

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