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Liriope spicata

Common name:	Lily Turf	Family:	Convallariaceae
Author:	(Thunb.)Lour.	Botanical references:	200, 266
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China.
Habitat:	Forests, grassy slopes, hillsides and moist places from near sea level to 1800 metres[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Convallaria spicata[H] Draceana graminifolia[H] Fluggea spicata[H] L. graminifolia[H] L. spicatum[B,P] Ophiopogon gracilus[H] Ophiopogon japonicum[H] Ophiopogon longifolius[H] Ophiopogon spicatus[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Creeping Lily-turf [H], Creeping Lilyturf [B,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	spica = spike; spicata = in spikes;
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 0.3m by 0.4m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 4. It is in leaf all year, in flower from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 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 dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Root.

The following use is reported for L. graminifolia, but there is a lot of confusion between members of this genus (compare [58] and [200]) and it is quite possible that the root of this species is also used[K].

Root - cooked[105, 177, 179]. Candied and used medicinally[61]. The roots are usually with fusiform with a fleshy, tuberous part near the tip[266]. Rich in mucilage, the root also contains about 1.6% protein, 0.5% fat, 80% carbohydrate and 2.3% ash[179].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Aphrodisiac; Pectoral; Stimulant.

The root is aphrodisiac, pectoral and stimulant[61].

Other Uses

Ground cover.

A good drought tolerant evergreen ground cover plant[200]. Plants should be spaced about 45cm apart each way, they can be invasive though[208].
Plants have been grown indoors in pots in order to help remove toxins from the atmosphere. It is especially good at removing ammonia[259].

Cultivation details

Prefers a sandy soil[1]. Succeeds in full sun so long as the soil does not dry out in the summer, otherwise it should be grown in partial shade in any moderately fertile well-drained soil[200].
There are some named forms selected for their ornamental value[200].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing it in a cold frame or greenhouse as soon as the seed is ripe if possible, if not then sowing the stored seed in early spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring. Very easy, the larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Suppliers

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

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

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.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Liriope spicatum (a possible synonym).

[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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants 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]).

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[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.

[259] Wolverton. B. C. Eco-Friendly House Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London. 1996 ISBN 0-297-83484-3
Excellent guide to pollution in the home and those plants that can help to remove the problem. Most of the plants are not hardy outdoors in the temperate zone, though a number of species can be grown outside.

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

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.