Herb latin name: Aletris spicata


Synonyms: Aletris japonica, Hypoxis spicata


Family: Liliaceae (Lily Family)



Medicinal use of Aletris spicata:

The root is antitussive and vermifuge.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
30 cm
(11 3/4 inch)

Habitat of the herb:

Hills and low mountains in C. and S. Japan. Forests, thicket margins, scrub, grasslands, streamsides, roadsides at elevations of 100 - 2900 metres in China.

Edible parts of Aletris spicata:

Young leaves - cooked. A famine food, used when all else fails.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in early spring. Sow the seed thinly to allow the seedlings to be grown on for their first year without potting them up, but give a liquid feed from time to time to ensure that they do not become nutrient deficient. Prick the young plants out into individual pots the following spring and grow them on in the greenhouse for the next winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Division in spring.

Cultivation of Aletris spicata:

Hills and low mountains in C. and S. Japan. Forests, thicket margins, scrub, grasslands, streamsides, roadsides at elevations of 100 - 2900 metres in China.

Known hazards of Aletris spicata:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.