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Platycodon grandiflorus

Common name:	Balloon Flower	Family:	Campanulaceae
Author:	(Jacq.)A.DC.	Botanical references:	58, 200
Synonyms:	Campanula grandiflora (Jacq.), Campanula glauca (Thunb.)
Known Hazards:	The root is poisonous[116]. The older, basal leaves are also said to be slightly toxic[179]. If these reports are true then this is an exceptional species in a family that is generally free of toxins and often used for food[K].
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria.
Habitat:	Grassy slopes in hills and mountains all over Japan[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.
	P. glaucus[G] P. grandiflorum[B,E,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Balloon Flower [H,P], Balloon-flower [B], Baloon Flower [L], Blue Balloon Flower [H], Chieh K'Eng [E], Chieh Keng [E], Chinese Bellflower [L], K'U Chieh Keng [E], Kikyoo [E], Lu T'Ou [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	florus = flowered; grandiflorus = large flowered;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Campanulales. Bellflower family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China; Indochina; Japan

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.5m by 0.4m . It is hardy to zone 4 and is not 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 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) 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

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Condiment; Leaves; Root.

Young leaves - cooked[177]. The radical leaves are said to be slightly toxic so only the top leaves should be used.
Old leaves are powdered and used as a flavouring.
Root - cooked[177]. Eaten in soups as a tonic vegetable[238]. It is also peeled and pickled or preserved in sugar[218]. A nutritional analysis is available[218].

Composition

Root (Dry weight): In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 0 Calories: 379 Protein: 3.2 Fat: 1.2 Carbohydrate: 93.7 Fibre: 11.7 Ash: 2
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 306 Phosphorus: 249 Iron: 8.2 VitaminA: 0 Thiamine: 0.13 Riboflavin: 0.47 Niacin: 10.3 VitaminC: 0
Source: [218]

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anthelmintic; Anticholesterolemic; Antiphlogistic; Antitussive; Astringent; Expectorant; Haemolytic; Hypoglycaemic; Sedative; Stomachic; Tonic.

This species has a history of herbal use in China going back over 2,000 years and modern clinical tests have demonstrated its efficacy[218, 238]. It is widely used there in patent remedies and is also made into cough tablets[238].
The root contains saponins and is anthelmintic, antiasthmatic, anticholesterolemic, antiphlogistic, antitussive, astringent, carminative, expectorant, haemolytic, hypoglycaemic, sedative, stomachic, tonic and vermifuge. It lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels in the liver and inhibits the release of histamine[116, 147, 174, 176, 178, 218, 238, 279]. It is used internally in the treatment of coughs with profuse phlegm, colds, bronchitis, pleurisy, pulmonary abscesses and throat infections[176, 238]. It is also used to treat hypertension and diabetes in Korea[279]. The root of plants 2 - 3 years old are harvested in the spring or autumn, peeled and used fresh or dried[238].

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

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any good well-drained garden soil but prefers a light more or less sandy soil in a sunny position or light dappled shade[200].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[200]. Another report says it is hardy to -20°c[187].
A very ornamental and long-lived plant[1, 233], there are several named forms[238]. It is cultivated, especially in China, as a medicinal plant[61, 238].
This species has brittle roots and strongly resents root disturbance. It should be planted out in its permanent position as soon as possible, and preferably when dormant in the winter[111, 238].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame[111]. Free and quick germination[K]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the winter when the plants are dormant[238, K].
Basal cuttings of non-flowering shoots in spring, preferably with a piece of root attached[188]. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.

Cultivars

'': There are several named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

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
[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 Campanula glauca (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Platycodon grandiflorum (a possible synonym).

[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.
[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.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[116] Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986
A small booklet packed with information.

[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.

[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.

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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.