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Stachys affinis

Common name:	Chinese Artichoke	Family:	Labiatae
Author:	Bunge.	Botanical references:	200, 266
Synonyms:	Stachys tuberifera (Naudin.), Stachys sieboldii (Miq.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat:	Wet and submersed areas 0-3200 m. Gansu, Hebei, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Xinjiang[266]
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	S. sieboldi[E]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Artichoke Betony [P], Artichoke-betony [B], Chinese Artichoke [H], Kan Lu Tsu [E], Ts'Ao Shih Ts'An [E], Tyorogi [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	affinis = related to, allied to
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lamiales. Renamed to Lamiaceae -- Mint family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.45m. It is hardy to zone 5 and is frost tender. It is in leaf from May to November, in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 4/5 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 semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Leaves Root.

Tubers - raw or cooked[1, 2, 4, 16, 33]. Quite a pleasant mild flavour and easily digested[46], but fairly small and fiddly[K], they are about 5 - 8cm long and 2cm wide[200, 206]. A nutty artichoke-like flavour[183], it can be eaten raw on its own, be added to salads or be lightly cooked[K]. The tubers quickly discolour when exposed to the air[200] and are said to lose their flavour if they are peeled[183]. It is best to harvest them as required[206]. Yields are about 1kg per square metre[200].
Leaves - cooked. A famine food, they are only used when all else fails[179].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anodyne.

The dried and powdered root is anodyne[218].
The entire plant has been used in the treatment of colds and pneumonia[266].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position[16]. Thrives in an ordinary garden soil[1], preferring one that is not too heavy[16, 33]. It grows best in a soil that has been well fed and does not dry out in the growing season[16]. Plants seem to withstand even water-logged conditions in the winter[206].
The Chinese artichoke is occasionally cultivated for its edible tubers, they are planted out in March and harvested from October onwards[1, 58, 61]. Although top growth is killed back by frost, the tubers are very hardy and can be left in the ground over winter to be harvested as required[200]. It is virtually impossible to find all the tubers, there are always some left behind that will grow the following season[K]. Plants are very tolerant of high summer temperatures[206].
The tubers begin to sprout at temperatures above about 5° c[206]. Plants take 5 - 7 months to develop their tubers[206].
Plants rarely flower in Britain[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. If sufficient growth has been made, it is possible to plant them out during the summer, otherwise grow them on in pots for their first summer, leaving the tubers in the pots to overwinter in a cold frame and then plant out in late spring when in active growth. Seed is rarely if ever produced on plants growing in Britain.
Division. The tubers can be harvest and replanted at any time whilst they are dormant. They do start into growth fairly early in the year so it is better to have moved them by the end of March[K].

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

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
[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.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Stachys sieboldi (a possible synonym).

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

References for Stachys sieboldii (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

[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]).

[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.

[16] Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0
A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.

[33] Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960
Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.

[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.

[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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