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Belamcanda chinensis

Common name:	Leopard Lily	Family:	Iridaceae
Author:	(L.)DC.	Botanical references:	58, 200
Synonyms:	Ixia chinensis (L.), Iris chinensis, Gemmingia chinensis ((L.)Kuntze.)
Known Hazards:	The plant is slightly toxic[147].
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas.
Habitat:	Shrubberies and banks at the edge of cultivation in rich damp soils in the Himalayas[51, 147].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	B. punctata[G,H] Moraea chinensis[H] Pardanthus chinensis[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Blackberry Lily [P,H], Blackberry-lily [B], Hi-Ogi [E], Leopard Flower [H], Leopard Lily [H], Pokok Kipas [E], Semprit [E], She Kan [E], She-gan [H], Suliga [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Liliales. Iris family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Batavia; China; Nepal; Perak; Sumatra

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m by 0.25m . It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen from September to November. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) 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.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Leaves - cooked[105, 177]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Abortifacient; Analgesic; Antibacterial; Antidote; Antifungal; Antiinflammatory; Depurative; Expectorant; Febrifuge; Hepatic; Pectoral; Purgative; Stomachic; Tonic.

The leopard lily has a very long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a bitter cooling herb that acts mainly on the lungs and the liver, lowering fevers and reducing inflammation[238]. It is effective against a number of bacterial, fungal and viral organisms[238] and has also been used as an antidote to snakebites[240].
The root contains several medically active constituents including flavonoids and isoflavonoids[279]. It is analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, depurative, expectorant, febrifuge, pectoral, purgative, stomachic and tonic[46, 61, 147, 176, 178, 218, 238, 279]. It is used in the treatment of acute laryngitis, acute tonsillitis, oedema of the glottis and cough with profuse sputum[176, 279]. The juice of the root is used in Nepal to treat liver complaints, where it has the added benefit of improving the appetite[272]. This juice is also used to abort a foetus during the first trimester of pregnancy[272]. The root should not be prescribed for pregnant women[238]. The root is harvested in the summer and autumn, and dried for later use[238].

Other Uses

Tannin.

The root contains tannin[272].

Cultivation details

Requires a fairly rich sandy or loamy soil in a bright sunny position or light shade. Succeeds in most soils[187]. Requires a position that stays moist in the summer[187]. Plants grow best in areas with long hot summers[238].
A fairly hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -15°c[187] if given a deep dry mulch over the winter.
A short lived plant, the bulbs are usually lifted in the autumn and stored in a cool but frost-free place over the winter, replanting them in the spring[233]. They can be left in the ground in the milder areas of the country so long as the soil is well-drained[233].
Individual flowers only live for one day, but the plant produces a succession of blooms over a period of several weeks[238].
Slugs really love this plant and can destroy even quite large clumps as they come into growth in the spring[K].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Pre-chill stored seed for 7 days and sow spring in a cold frame. The seed germinates in 2 - 8 weeks at 20°c[134]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. They can be planted out in early autumn and should flower in the following year[200].
Division in spring or early autumn[200]. Larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Ixia chinensis (a possible synonym).

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

References for the family Iridaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

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.

[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.

[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.

[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.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. 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.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[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.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[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.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[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.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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