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Ophiopogon japonicus

Common name:	Snake's Beard	Family:	Convallariaceae
Author:	(L.f.)Ker-Gawl.	Botanical references:	58, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat:	Damp ground[174] in shady places in lowland and foothills[58].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Convallaria japonica[G] Convallaria spicata[H] Draceana graminifolia[H] Fluggea spicata[H] Liriope graminifolia[H] Liriope spicata[E,G,H,HORTIPLEX] O. gracilus[H] O. japonicum[E,H] O. longifolius[H] O. spicatus[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Creeping Lily-turf [H], Dwarf Lilyturf [H,P], Mai Dong [E],
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China Indochina

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 0.3m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower in August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

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

Habitats and Possible Locations

Pond, Bog Garden, Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Root.

Root[61]. A bitterness should be removed according to some reports[105, 177] whilst another says that it is sweet and aromatic[178]. Mucilaginous[179, 218]. The root contains about 1.6% protein, 0.5% fat, 80% carbohydrate, 2.3% ash[179].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antipyretic Antiscrophulatic Antitussive Aphrodisiac Cancer Emollient Expectorant Nutritive Pectoral Sedative Sialagogue Stomachic Tonic.

The root is antitussive, aphrodisiac, expectorant, pectoral, sedative, sialogogue, stomachic and tonic[147, 174, 176, 218, 238]. It is said to have anticancer activity[218]. It is used internally in the treatment of dry coughs, fevers, thirst, dry constipation, insomnia, anxiety and palpitations[238]. It is also frequently used in polyherbal treatments of diabetes mellitus[218]. The roots have an antibacterial action, inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus, E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, B. typhi etc[176]. The roots are harvested in the spring and dried for later use[238].
The plant is antipyretic, antiscrofulatic, antitussive, emollient, expectorant and tonic[218].
Lowers blood pressure[176]. Nodules on the fibrous roots are used as a nutritive tonic in the treatment of TB[174].

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

Other Uses

Ground cover Soil stabilization.

A good carpeting plant[1, 200] that spreads quite freely[208], it is commonly planted as a ground cover or as a low-maintenance grass substitute[187, 208]. It is particularly valuable for preventing soil erosion[200]. Plants should be spaced about 45cm apart each way[208].

Cultivation details

Prefers a sandy soil[1]. Succeeds in any moderately fertile well-drained soil and also as a submerged aquatic plant, though it does not flower in such a situation[200]. Succeeds in a sunny position if the soil remains moist all year round, otherwise it should be grown in semi-shade[200].
Plants may require winter protection according to one report[1], whilst another says that they are hardy to about -20° c[200]. Plants only succeed outdoors in the milder areas of the country[208].
This species is cultivated as a medicinal plant in China[178].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sandy compost in a cold frame[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame 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[188].

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.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Liriope spicata (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.
[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 Ophiopogon japonicum (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.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

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

References

[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.

[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.

[174] Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
A good Japanese herbal.

[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.

[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.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[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.

[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.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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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.