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Phytolacca esculenta

Common name:		Family:	Phytolaccaceae
Author:	Van Houtte.	Botanical references:	200, 266
Synonyms:	Phytolacca kaempferi (A.Gray.), Phytolacca acinosa esculenta (Maxim.)
Known Hazards:	The leaves are poisonous[147]. They are said to be alright to eat when young, the toxins developing as they grow older.
Range:	E. Asia - China.
Habitat:	Valleys, hillsides, forest understories, forest margins and roadsides at elevations of 500 - 3400 metres[266]. It is also found in cultivated land houses, moist fertile lands and as a weed[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	P. acinosa[E,G,H,HORTIPLEX] P. octandra[H] P. pekinensis[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Ch'Ang Hua [E], Oosterse Karmozijnbes [D], Shang Lu [E], Yama-Gobo [E], Yosyu-Yama-Gobo [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	esculenta = edible lenta = pliable
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Caryophyllales. Pokeweed family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China Japan

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m. It is hardy to zone 6 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. 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, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Leaves Root.

Leaves - they must be cooked and are used as a spinach[1, 58, 105, 174, 183]. Only the young leaves should be used since they become toxic with age.
Root - cooked[105, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Abortifacient Antiasthmatic Antibacterial Antifungal Antiinflammatory Antiphlogistic Antitussive Diuretic Expectorant Hypotensive Purgative.

The roots contain saponins[279]. They are abortifacient, antiasthmatic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiinflammatory, antiphlogistic, antitussive, diuretic, expectorant, hypotensive and purgative[147, 174, 176, 279]. A decoction is used in the treatment of oedema, beri-beri, lumbago, rheumatism, abdominal distension and numbness of the throat[147, 176, 279]. Use with caution, see the notes above on toxicity[176].

Other Uses

Ink.

A red ink is obtained from the fruit[57].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, succeeding in most soils[1], though preferring a moisture retentive soil in full sun or partial shade[200]. We have found the plants to be very tolerant of drought[K]. Plants can be grown in quite coarse grass, which can be cut annually in the autumn[233].
The young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts.
There is sme disagreement over the correct name for this species with some authorities saying that it is no more than a synonym for P. acinosa[266], whilst others give it specific status[200]. There are reports that there is a white flowered plant, which could either be this species or a form of P. acinosa which is said to be non-toxic and to have an edible root[K]. See P. acinosa for more details.
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].

Propagation

Seed - sow autumn or spring 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 greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
If you have sufficient seed, it might be worthwhile trying an outdoor sowing in a seed bed in early spring. Grow the plants on in the seedbed for their first year and plant them out the following spring.
Division in March or October. Use a sharp spade or knife to divide the rootstock, making sure that each section has at least one growth bud. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

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

References for Phytolacca acinosa (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 Phytolacca kaempferi (a possible synonym).

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

References for phytolacca esculenta (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for the family Phytolaccaceae.

[CHINA] Draft 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.

[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]).

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but 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.

[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.

[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.

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