Herb latin name: Podocarpium podocarpum


Synonyms: Desmodium japonicum, Desmodium podocarpum


Family: Leguminosae



Edible parts of Podocarpium podocarpum:

This species is related to D. oxyphyllum and quite possibly has the same uses. These are:- Seed - cooked. Ground into a powder or steamed.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
120 cm
(4 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

Roadsides, grassy slopes, grasslands on high mountains, mountain slopes, forests, thickets, forest margins and ditches at elevations of 100 - 2100 metres.

Propagation of Podocarpium podocarpum:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. Scarify and pre-soak stored seed for 5 hours in warm water then sow March in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates within 1 - 4 months at 25°C. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer and consider giving them some protection from frost in their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in a frame. Division as the plant comes into growth in the spring. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring. Root cuttings in winter.

Cultivation of the herb:

Roadsides, grassy slopes, grasslands on high mountains, mountain slopes, forests, thickets, forest margins and ditches at elevations of 100 - 2100 metres.

Medicinal use of Podocarpium podocarpum:

None known

Known hazards of Podocarpium podocarpum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.