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Asparagus cochinchinensis

Common name:	Chinese Asparagus	Family:	Asparagaceae
Author:	(Lour.)Merr.	Botanical references:	58, 200
Synonyms:	Melanthium cochinchinen, Asparagus lucidus (Lindl.), Asparagus insularis (Hance.), Asparagus falcatus (Benth.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Habitat:	Near seashores all over Japan[58]. Thinly forested slopes, roadsides and waste fields from near sea level to 1700 metres in China[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. lucidum[E] Melanthium cochinchinensis[G] Protasparagus falcatus[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Men Tung [E], Shiny Asparagus [H], Sparagio [E], T'Ien Men Tung [E], T'Ien Men Tung Shiu [E], Tien Le [E], Wan Sui T'Eng [E],
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China; Italy

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1.5m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen in September. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Bees. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained 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. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Fruit; Root.

Tubers - cooked[1, 61, 177]. The tubers are up to 5cm long and 2m wide[266]. They are washed to remove the bitterness, the fibrous core is removed and the root is then boiled[46, 179]. It tastes like asparagus[22]. Another report says that the tubers are eaten after preserving in sugar[183].
The fruit is said to be edible[183]. The fruit is about 6 - 8mm in diameter[200]. Another report says that the berries are harmful if eaten[238].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antibacterial; Antiinflammatory; Antipyretic; Antiseptic; Antitussive; Cancer; Diuretic; Expectorant; Infertility; Nervine; Sialagogue; Stomachic; Tonic.

This species has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years[238]. The dried root is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antiseptic, antitussive, diuretic, expectorant, nervine, sialagogue, stomachic, nervous stimulant and tonic[176, 178, 218, 238, 279]. It is taken internally in the treatment of fevers, debility, sore throats, coughs etc[238]. It is often decocted with other herbs and used in the treatment of a wide range of ailments including diabetes mellitus[218]. Prolonged usage is recommended for the treatment of impotence[218]. The root is harvested when the plant is dormant and is dried for later use[238].
The plant has a folk history for the treatment of cancer, modern research has detected antitumour activity and it is now being studied for the treatment of lung cancer[218].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

Insecticide.

Kills the larvae of flies and mosquitoes[176]. No more details.

Cultivation details

Easily grown in any good garden soil[200]. Prefers a rich light well-drained sandy loam in a sunny position[238].
Plants are almost hardy in Britain according to one report[1], whilst others say that the plants tolerate temperatures down to between -10 and -15°c[200, 238].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring or as soon as the seed is ripe in early autumn in a greenhouse. It usually germinates in 3 - 6 weeks at 25°c[134]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a sunny position in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer[K].
Division in early spring as the plant comes into growth.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Asparagus falcatus (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Asparagus insularis (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Asparagus lucidum (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Asparagus lucidus (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[22] Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
A very good Chinese herbal.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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