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Polygonatum commutatum

Common name:	King Solomon's Seal	Family:	Convallariaceae
Author:	(Schultz.)Dietr.	Botanical references:	43, 200
Synonyms:	Polygonatum giganteum (Dietr.), Polygonatum canaliculatum ((Muhl.)Pursh.), Convallaria commutata (Schultz.)
Known Hazards:	The fruit and seed are thought to be poisonous[65].
Range:	Eastern N. America - Rhode Island to Ontario and Manitoba, south to Georgia, New Mexico and Arizona.
Habitat:	Moist woodland and copses, often by streams[43, 235]. Plants are rarely found in dry soils[235].
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 biflora[B,P] P. biflorum var. commutatum[B,P] P. canaliculatum auct. non[P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Great Solomon's Seal [H,L,S], Huang Ching [E], Huang Ching Chiu [E], King Solomon's Seal [P], Mi Pu [E], Solomon's Seal [H], Solomon's Seal, Great [S],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	commutatum = changeable mutatum = different
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China Mexico(Kickapoo)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 2m by 0.6m . It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower in May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 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 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

Leaves Root.

Young shoots - cooked. They can be used as an asparagus substitute.
Root - cooked[22, 161]. A parsnip-like flavour[212]. Rich in starch, it can be dried and ground into a powder then used as a thickener in soups etc or can be added to flour when making cakes, bread or whatever[46, 61]. The root should be boiled and sun-dried nine times, it is then delicious[179] (if there is anything left![K])

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic.

A decoction of the root has been used as a herbal steam inhalant as a treatment for headaches[257].

Other Uses

Incense.

The root has been burnt in the house for its pleasant fragrance[257].

Cultivation details

Prefers a fertile humus rich moisture retentive well-drained soil in cool shade or semi-shade[200]. Plants are intolerant of heat and drought but tolerate most other conditions[200].
Grows well in woodlands and copses[1, 42].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[233].
The young shoots are very attractive to slugs[K].
Hybridizes with other members of this genus[200].
According to one report this species is no more than a synonym for P. biflorum[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in early autumn in a shady part of a cold greenhouse[200]. Sow stored seed as early in the year as possible. Germination can be slow, they may not come true to type[200] and it takes a few years for them to reach a good size. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a shady position 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 March or October. 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

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum (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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Polygonatum canaliculatum (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.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine

References for Polygonatum giganteum (a possible synonym).

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

[22] Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.

[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.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. 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.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[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.

[212] Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers The Riverside Press 1963 ISBN 63-7093
Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.

[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.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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