Herb latin name: Arisaema serratum


Synonyms: Arisaema japonicum, Arum serratum


Family: Araceae (Arum Family)



Medicinal use of Arisaema serratum:

The root is alterative, deobstruent, discutient, diuretic, expectorant, vulnerary. Use with caution.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
90 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:
March

Habitat of the herb:

Shady forests in C. and S. Japan.

Edible parts of Arisaema serratum:

Tuber - must be thoroughly dried or cooked. The tubers are 15 - 55mm in diameter. Use with caution, see the notes above on toxicity. Leaves - cooked. Use with caution, see the notes above on toxicity.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame. Stored seed remains viable for at least a year and can be sown in spring in the greenhouse but it will probably require a period of cold stratification. Germination usually takes place in 1 - 6 months at 15°C. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least a coupe of years until the corms are more than 20mm in diameter. Plant out into their permanent positions whilst they are dormant. Division of tubers when the plant dies down in late summer.

Cultivation of Arisaema serratum:

Shady forests in C. and S. Japan.

Known hazards of Arisaema serratum:

The plant contains calcium oxylate crystals. These cause an extremely unpleasant sensation similar to needles being stuck into the mouth and tongue if they are eaten but they are easily neutralized by thoroughly drying or cooking the plant or by steeping it in water.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.