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Paris polyphylla

Common name:	Herb Paris	Family:	Trilliaceae
Author:	Sm.	Botanical references:	51, 200, 266
Synonyms:	Daiswa polyphylla ((Sm.)Raf.)
Known Hazards:	Poisonous[4].
Range:	E. Asia - China to the Himalayas.
Habitat:	Broad-leaved and mixed woodlands to 3000 metres in the Himalayas[51, 200]. Forests, bamboo forests, thickets, grassy or rocky slopes and streamsides, 100 - 3500 metres in western China[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	P. pokyphylla[E]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Tsao Hsiu [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	polyphylla = many leaved;
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China; Nepal

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 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 full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.

Edible Uses

Seed.

Seed[105]. A sweet flavour, but mawkish[2].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic; Anthelmintic; Antiphlogistic; Antispasmodic; Antitussive; Depurative; Febrifuge; Narcotic.

The roots are analgesic, antiphlogistic, antipyretic, antispasmodic, antitussive, depurative, febrifuge and narcotic[4, 147, 176, 218]. They posses anthelmintic properties[243]. A decoction of the roots is used in the treatment of poisonous snake bites, boils and ulcers, diphtheria and epidemic Japanese B encephalitis[147]. A paste of the roots is used as a poultice to treat cuts and wounds[272]. The juice of the roots has been used as an anthelmintic[272].
The roots have shown antibacterial action against Bacillus dysenteriae, B. typhi, B. paratyphi, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, haemolytic streptococci, Meningococci etc[176].
The whole plant is febrifuge[218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a moist humus-rich soil in woodland conditions, succeeding in full or partial shade[90, 200, 233]. Prefers a light sandy loam[42].
This species is hardy to about -15°c according to one report[200], though another says that plants only succeed outdoors in southern and western Britain[42].
Overcollection of this plant from the wild for medicinal purposes is a cause of conservation concern[272].
A very variable species, with a large number of subspecies recognised[266].
Plants are very slow to flower from seed[137]. The individual flowers are very long-lived, lasting for up to 3 months[200, 233].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in late summer in light shade in a greenhouse. Sow stored seed in a greenhouse as soon as it is received. The seed is very slow to germinate. It produces a primary root about 7 months after sowing, this pulls the seed deeper into the soil. Leaves are produced about 4 months later[137]. Sow the seed thinly in fairly deep pots so that the seedlings can be grown on for their first two years without disturbance. Once they have germinated, give them a regular weak liquid feed to ensure that they do not suffer from nutrient deficiency. Once the plants are dormant at the end of their second year of growth, divide them up and put one plant in each pot. Grow them on for at least another year in a shady part of the greenhouse before planting them out into their permanent positions.
Division.

Suppliers

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

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[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.

References for Daiswa polyphylla (a possible synonym).

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Paris pokyphylla (a possible synonym).

[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

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.

[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.

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[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.

[137] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 9. 1986 - 1987. Royal Horticultural Society 1986
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants including Carya spp and Crocus sativus.

[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.

[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.

[243] Medicinal Plants of Nepal Dept. of Medicinal Plants. Nepal. 1993
Terse details of the medicinal properties of Nepalese plants, including cultivated species and a few imported herbs.

[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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